The Koraput district Congress on Monday held a seven-hour bandh in the district from 6 am to 1 pm demanding arrest of the culprits involved in the Kunduli minor tribal girl gangrape incident on October 10.
The bandh evoked a near-total response. All Government offices, schools, colleges and banks remained closed. The shops and business establishments downed their shutters. Buses, trucks and other small vehicles also stayed off the roads as protestors burned tyres and squatted on the roads and shouted slogans.
Alleging police laxity in the incident, Congress chief whip and Jeypore MlA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said, “It has been seven days and the State Government is still mute. Neither the police have arrested any culprit involved nor have the investigating teams got any clues regarding the incident. The special team of the State Crime Branch also returned to Bhubaneswar after interrogating several persons in this connection.”
“We demand immediate arrest of the culprits. The State Government should pay a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the survivor. This apart, it should bear all her study, hostel expenses and other necessities,” Bahinipati said.
“The Maoists too have called for a shutdown today, they are not involved. Culprits involved in the crime should be arrested immediately, be it police or any other civilian,” he added.
Former Congress MP Pradeep Majhi warned that the agitation will be intensified if the demands are not fulfilled immediately. He said, “State Government has initiated a false probe. They have started torturing the villagers during the night and have detained three persons. The Maoists released an audio tape denying their involvement and even have extended support to the bandh.”
Meanwhile, police detained four youths for questioning in the incident. However, their family members alleged that they are innocent and the police are trying to make them scapegoats.
A PIl was filed in the Orissa High Court on Monday seeking probe into the gangrape by Central investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
City-based advocate Gautam Siddique has approached the High Court praying for directions to investigate the case by independent investigating agency like CBI or NIA. The petitioner has arrayed both the central agencies as respondents in the case apart from the State police.
The petitioner claimed that although the victim girl had not been able to identify the perpetrators, she however, maintains that four persons wearing camouflage fatigues waylaid her to a deserted place and forced upon her one after the other.
Since the area is infected by Maoists, who often wear camouflage fatigues and, moreover, various wings of security forces, including State police are deployed in the vicinity, it would be logical if the investigation is handed over to the central independent agencies, the petition said. The PIl has, however, not yet been taken cognizance by the court.