Cuttack: As statewide outrage grows over the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old college student in Cuttack, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Friday said that the government will ensure the culprits are punished.
The minister added that efforts are on to declare Odisha a crime-free state for women by 2036.
“The government will take very strong action in the Cuttack gang rape case. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has, on multiple occasions, directed the police to take stringent action against those involved in crimes against women,” Harichandan said.
Police stated that six people, including a minor, were arrested for allegedly raping the student multiple times and recording videos of the acts in Odisha’s Cuttack district. The woman filed an FIR with the Badambadi police station in Cuttack, alleging that her boyfriend and others raped her.
According to the FIR, she went to a café in Cuttack’s Purighat area during the Dussehra festival to celebrate her birthday. Her boyfriend, allegedly with help from the café owner, recorded intimate moments on his phone. They reportedly used these videos to blackmail her and subsequently raped her multiple times, Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena said.
Based on the FIR lodged November 4, the boyfriend, the café owner, and four others were arrested over the next two days, the DCP said. They face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act, and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police recovered the videos, which have been sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Bhubaneswar for examination.
Meena, in a press conference, said the accused had assaulted the victim on two separate occasions. He urged any woman being blackmailed to come forward and file a complaint without fear or hesitation.
PNN
