The police arrested Durga Prasad Jena (65) of Dengaramari village under Bhograi police station limits, accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl inmate of a child care institution, run by the State WCD Department.
The incident led to a let-up in the violent agitation held by the locals over the last three days demanding Jena’s arrest. Jena is the secretary of the child care institution and was absconding ever since the victim lodged an FIR on Friday.
He was nabbed by the police on Sunday, while his eldest son Biplab (42) and caretaker Namita Tripathy (38) were arrested earlier. The locals on Friday had ransacked the distress home and set ablaze some of its properties when they didn’t find the accused. The agitators had alleged that the local police helped the accused to abscond.
Following the incident, adequate police force was deployed at the site. Despite presence of the police, the angry mob on Saturday torched a SUV belonging to the institution, Samaj Bikash Parishad, run under the WCD Department.
The locals also picketed on road by burning tyres demanding immediate arrest of the main accused. Following the violence, the district administration clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 around the distress home. All the 104 inmates had been shifted to another school complex.
Jaleswar SDPO Satyraranjan Mallick said, “The accused was rounded up and would be forwarded to court after interrogation and medical examinations. Besides, his eldest son, Biplab and caretaker Namita were arrested on the charge of abetment of the crime. So far in connection with the incident, cases against 27 persons have been registered.”