The Balani police under Keonjhar district seem to have learnt no lesson from the Kunduli case in which the victim had to kill herself in protest against failure of the police to arrest the accused.
Sources reveal that on December 3 last, the victim of Durbichhak village near Barbil under Balani PS had come to police with a complaint that at about 11 am on December 1 last, while she had come to the nearby bazaar for shopping, one Bishwajit and two others had forcibly pushed her into a Bolero Jeep and after closing the glass of the vehicle informed her brother over phone that she was with them and threatened to kill her if the matter was informed to police.
After reaching Puri the next day, they stayed in a hotel where Biswajeet is alleged to have raped her two to four times against her will. Then the accused threatened her not to disclose the matter to police; lest he would cut her into pieces. Being horrified and mentally imbalanced by the brutal acts of Biswajeet and two of his aides, she couldn't decide what to do. However, after reaching home, she narrated everything to her mother and then went to the Balani police station to lodge an FIR.
After receiving the complaint, as per rules, it was mandatory for the police to register the complaint or conduct a preliminary inquiry.
But, the police did not follow any of guidelines of the Supreme Court.
Victim’s father Madhu Maharana said as the grievances of her daughter were not addressed by the local police, she had sent a written complaint to the SP, Keonjhar, but so far nothing has been done to give justice to the victim even after three months have passed.
Seeing the inaction of the police, the accused and his father are alleged to have threatened Madhu and his family members of dire consequences for bringing the matter to the notice of the police.
However, when we tried to contact IIC Bijaya Kumar Bihari to know about the status of the case, he admitted that a directive has come from the SP, Keonjhar, but as the complainant is not cooperating to conduct the inquiry, they are not able to proceed in the case.