Odisha couple stopped by a mob just days after Jamui-assault case
Dhenkanal, Odisha: A young couple from Cuttack was allegedly stopped and assaulted by a group of villagers on September 18, 2026, while riding a motorcycle back from the Kapilash shrine, a popular tourist site, on the Deogaon-Tangi road. Police say the group, reportedly intoxicated, abused and assaulted the couple near Bhanragada village; the matter was briefly defused after local intervention, but when the couple set off again, the same men intercepted them a second time and filmed the encounter.
That video went viral on September 19, showing the man being hit and the woman pleading with the group to let them go; the motive remains unclear and the video is unverified. Dhenkanal police registered a case at Gandia police station under BNS and IT Act sections, and detained three men — Saroj Nayak, Samir Nayak, and Sangram Rath. The video ganied attenttion yet again after going viral on Spetember 23. Further investigation is ongoing.
Days earlier, a boy and girl — reportedly students from the same coaching centre — were allegedly stopped on a road in Jamui and harassed by a group; one viral clip purportedly showed the girl being groped. The case triggered nationwide outrage. Five people were arrested, two of them after an encounter with police in which both were injured. Bihar's Women's Commission demanded swift action, while the JDU called the incident "sporadic."
The similar video from Odisha has sparked a public outrage with users demanding better governance and punishments for these sort of acts. Indian media have framed the Dhenkanal case as "Jamui-like," pointing to a pattern of groups stopping young couples on roads, harassing or assaulting them, filming it, and posting the footage — with police typically moving only after the video goes viral rather than from an initial complaint.
