December 16 is observed as a day in the memory of Nirbhaya, the 23-year-old paramedic who was gangraped and murdered in Delhi in 2012. However, none seems to be serious to ensure justice to ‘laxmipriya’, a 15-year-old blind girl, who was raped and murdered in Puri.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has closed the case, wherein the brutality was highlighted immensely seeking stringent action against the culprit at the earliest and compensation to the poor bereaved family members of the deceased.
Earlier, the NHRC issued a notice to the Superintendent of Police of Puri acting over a petition filed in this regard by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. The accused in the rape and murder of the visually challenged girl of Beldal village in Puri district of Odisha, resorted to same barbaric method as used by the culprits in the infamous Delhi gang rape case.
After raping the girl, the accused tried to strangulate her and then forced an iron rod into her private parts. Finally, the girl bled to death.
She was studying in Class V in Bhubaneswar-based Bhimabhoi School for physically handicapped students and had come home during summer vacation. The incident took place on June 5 night this year.
Her mutilated body was found from a forest near the Beldal village along the Puri-Konark marine drive road. Postmortem report revealed that the iron rod damaged the girl's genitals and kidney and she died of profuse bleeding.
The lapse of security and vigil in the area by the State authorities is responsible for the tragic death of this unfortunate poor minor blind girl, the petitioner alleged.
Radhakanta requested the NHRC to make an independent and impartial investigation of the case, direct the State Government to pay adequate compensation to the family members of the deceased and the State to ensure security of life in such a tourist friendly area by enhancing police patrolling.
Now, the big question before entire civil society and media is whether anybody is listening to the heart melting cry of the poor but brilliant blind girl. Had she been died in Delhi or any metro city, the situation would have been entirely different.
At least, the poor family members could have been paid compensation.