The Congress on Tuesday began a two-day protest rally named ‘Nirbhaya Sandesh Padyatra’ from the Kunduli gangrape victim’s village Mushaguda under the Potangi police station in Koraput district demanding immediate arrest of all the four accused in the case.
The Padyatra was led by PCC president Prasad Harichandan and joined by Mahila Congress State president Sasmita Behera, ST Cell chief Pradeep Majhi, SC Cell president Krushna Chandra Sagaria, former president Jayadev Jena and a host of other leaders and over a hundred of workers.
The Padyatra began from Mushaguda, 5 km from the incident site near Kunduli Hatapada and reached the DIG office in Koraput. The activists holding placards and banners shouted slogans against the Naveen Patnaik Government and police inaction.
It may be noted that four youths in combat uniforms had forcibly taken away the victim, a Class-IX student, from Kunduli Hatapada to a nearby jungle and raped her. The girl has been undergoing treatment at the Saheed laxman Nayak Medical College Hospital in Koraput since then.
Harichandan had met the victim after the Congress held a seven-hour Koraput Bandh on Monday.
“Even as eight days have passed since the heinous crime occurred, police have failed to identify and nab the culprits. The Congress will be taking to the streets till the victim gets justice,” said Harichandan.
Even as the Congress held the protest rally, infighting in the party came to the fore again. The party’s senior leader and Jeypore MlA Tara Prasad Bahinipati didn’t attend the rally.
According to information, the police had detained four youths for questioning in connection with the rape case on Monday. However, they released three of them on Tuesday as obviously the youths were innocent.