Communist Party of India (Marxist-leninist) liberation leader Judhisthir Mohapatra on Monday alleged that CRPF jawans have assaulted six women, aged between 18 and 23, and a minor girl after tying their hands behind their bodies in the M Rampur area of Kalahandi district.
Mohapatra said the CRPF personnel on December 17 morning had chased four women and the minor girl (15) of Kuduteli on a forest road connecting Tungeli village under Urladani gram panchayat. The women, who were going to attend a death ritual in at Tungeli, got scared of the sudden presence of the jawans in the jungle.
After noticing aggressiveness of the jawans, Mohapatra said, the women ran towards Balibaju village. They entered into the house of Suresh Majhi of Madibadi hamlet and requested Majhi to help them. Majhi was taking his breakfast in his house when the jawans reached the hamlet. The jawans entered the house and started beating the women. When Majhi inquired about the matter, he along with two women of his family was thrashed by the CRPF personnel.
Majhi, who was present at the Press meet convened by five left parties in Bhubaneswar, said the jawans had physically assaulted the women folk by tying their hands behind their bodies. “When the jawans brought the women out from my house after torturing them, the women were crying and asking the villagers to give them some clothes,” said Majhi.
The Communist leader alleged that the jawans searched all the houses in the hamlet and looted gold jewelleries worth over Rs 1 lakh and took away three BPl cards, two voter identity cards, seven mobile phones, three charge lights and Rs 7,000 in cash from six houses before leaving for the police station.
Mohapatra said the jawans took Majhi along with the women to the police station, around 10 km from the hamlet, by foot. After investigation, the police released them and told the CRPF that they were innocent. The tribals lodged an FIR at the local police station, but the police didn’t accept it and advised them to keep silent on the issue.
Mohapatra demanded stringent action against the CRPF jawans and return of the valuable articles to the victims.