Shame! Two more minors raped in Odisha

Bhubaneswar/Phulbani: Despite awareness campaigns, incidents of sexual assault on minor girls continue unabated in Odisha with two more fresh cases reported today.

While a minor girl was allegedly gang raped by an auto rickshaw driver and his accomplice in Khajuripada in Kandhamal district, reports of a 12-year-old girl allegedly raped by a sexagenarian multiple times in the capital city has come to light.

The minor girl in Kandhamal district was gang raped by an auto rickshaw driver and his accomplice in a forested area while she was returning home in the same the auto rickshaw from a nearby market.

“They dragged me out. I tried to free myself from their clutches but couldn’t. They raped me and left,” said the victim.

Following a complaint by the victim’s father, Khajuripada police have arrested the accused persons after registering a case and have launched an investigation into the allegation.

“The incident has been reported at Khajuripada police station. Based on the complaint, the two accused persons have been nabbed. The auto rickshaw has been also seized,” informed Surendra Nath Murmu, SDPO, Phulbani.

In Bhubaneswar’s Chandrasekharpur police limits, a 60-year-old man, who is a contractor had been allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl.

The accused identified as one Pramod Singh has been detained by the police.

According to reports, since the victim’s father is a daily wager and stays in Gujarat, her grandfather had left her in the custody of the contractor who is known to them so that she can pursue her studies.

Somehow the minor girl managed to escape from the clutches the contractor and narrated her ordeal to locals, who alerted the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Later she was rescued by the CWC and a case was registered at the Chandrasekharpur police station.

“A case has been registered at Chandrasekharpur police station. We have detained the accused. We will record the statement of the victim under section 164 CrPC. Based on her statement and medical report action will be taken,” Anup Kumar Sahu, DCP, Bhubaneswar.