Failure to provide justice to rape victim
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued the final reminder over a minor girl gang-rape case in the office of a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) in Bhadrak district.
This direction from the NHRC came in view of the failure of the district administration in ensuring justice to the victim. The trial court also let off both the accused on mutual understanding between the father of the victim and the accused.
The whole exercise of the NHRC in this highly sensitive case was carried out acting on a petition filed by rights campaigner Radhakanta Tripathy.
Earlier, the NHRC had sought an action taken report (ATR) from the Collector and SP of the district. In response to the notice, the SP had submitted a report on April 28 last year.
The report stated the accused duo forcibly took her into the office room and committed rape one after another. On the complaint of the victim, an FIR was registered at Bhandaripokhari police station and the case was pending investigation after arrest of both the accused.
In his rejoinder, activist Tripathy had stated that the rape was committed in the Government office on a holiday.
The victim was not provided with any psycho social
counseling for the trauma and that no compensation was provided to her.
The petitioner had alleged that on Sunday, March 24 last year, in the office of the CDPO in Bhandaripokhari block, the victim girl who had appeared at the Class 10th examination from Haramani High School was gang-raped by an employee and his friend in the afternoon.
Why the CDPO office had been opened on Sunday and how an outsider was allowed to enter into the office to commit such a heinous crime, Tripathy had questioned.