Puri: The Holy City Tuesday witnessed a series of agitations when various organisations and political parties hit the street to vent their anger over the gangrape of a minor girl at the official quarters of a police personnel here Monday.
The agitators sought stringent punishment for the culprits of the heinous crime.
Hundreds of Congress activists led by Binayak Das Mahapatra, Alok Dash, Birendra Bhusan Hota, Chhabindra Padhiary, Bidyutlata Acharya and Nirupama Patra took out a rally from their party office to the office of Puri superintendent of police (SP) to protest the incident. They held discussions with SP Umashankar Dash and Inspector General of police (IGP) Ashis Singh.
“The incident has raised questions over the security establishment in the Holy City. DIG Singh has assured us to bring the culprits to justice,” Das Mahapatra said.
On the other hand, a large number of BJP activists led by Jyoti Mahapatra, Sabitri Prusti, Rajashree Dora, Pravanjan Mahapatra and Jayanta Das organised a demonstration at the SP office and sought capital punishment for the rapists.
The saffron party activists came down heavily on the state government for its alleged failure to protect women from sexual exploitation.
The BJP workers claimed that the gangrape has hurt the sentiment of Puri people. “It is a shame on us that a minor girl was raped at the official quarters of a police personnel. The culprits must be hanged till death to give justice to the victim,” said a BJP worker.
The activists of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) too criticised the state government over the incident. AIDWA activists led by Puspa Dash, Haramani Mahapatra, Subasini Sahu, Mina Pradhan and Laxmi Sahu held a demonstration at the SP office. They sought adequate compensation and a government job for the victim.
Similarly, a group of students and youths staged a peaceful protest at Jhadeswari Square and sought capital punishment for the rapists.