Protesting the callous attitude of the police and demanding a Crime Branch probe into the incident, a rape victim along with her husband and children sat on fast unto death at the SDPO office here.
According to sources, Dalit Puspalata Jena, a resident of Panasuapada village under Patkura police station, married with one Rabindra Jena, a resident of Kaipada village under Jajpur district. After her house was demolished by some miscreants, the family had been staying at an abandoned school building at Ghodadanda village.
However, on March 19 last, Puspalata was allegedly gang raped by one Hagura and his three other associates near a bush behind of the school. They did it forcibly by assaulting her husband and brandishing sharp weapons.
The victim Dalit woman alleged that though she had lodged an FIR at Patkura police station on March 23, the police failed to nab the accused. She said that over eight months had passed since the incident, but she was not able to get justice from the police yet. She said that the accused were moving scot free in the locality. Charging that police investigation was shoddy, she demanded a probe into the case by the Crime Branch.
When contacted the SDPO Nrushingh Charan Swain informed that police had conducted medical examination of the victim woman. “As per the medical report, it has been found that the Dalit woman was not gang raped. So the case of the victim was a fake one,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kedrapara Sub Collector Pratap Kumar Mishra, District Welfare Officer (DWO) Charulata Mallick and SDPO Swain went to the agitation spot and made an attempt to pacify the victim and her family to withdraw their stir but it yielded no result.
DWO Mallick informed the victim woman staged agitation in front of SDPO office demanding compensation under Dalit Atrocity Act and also sanction of benefit under Mo Kudia.
But it is not possible as the victim’s husband comes under Jajpur district, she said, adding that if the victim’s family filed an application to the district administration, then the district administration would request the Jajpur Collector to help her avail Mo Kudia.