Bhubaneswar: Tension prevailed at Jatni under the Bhubaneswar Urban Police District limits over the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl late Thursday night. The shocking incident occurred at Mundia Sahi in Gopabandhu Nagar area under the Jatni police limits here.
According to sources, the victim’s mother asked her to get some onions from her uncle’s house nearby at around 10 p.m. Thursday. When the girl did not return even after an hour, her parents got worried and started looking for her along with their neighbours. On reaching the area where the girl’s uncle resided, they knocked every door inquiring about their daughter’s whereabout. However, despite repeated knocks, one person did not open the door, giving rise to suspicion about the occupant’s activities.
When the villagers peeked into his room through the skylight, they were shocked to find the girl lying unconscious in the room. They found the girl draped in a bedsheet with blood spots all over the floor around her.
Subsequently, the villagers broke into the room and rushed the girl to the Railway Hospital. She was later shifted to the AIIMS where the doctors declared her ‘brought dead’.
Meanwhile, the villagers nabbed the accused, identified as Ananda Pradhan, who was trying to flee the spot. Pradhan was left black and blue as the angry villagers thrashed him brutally before handing him to the police. Currently, he is undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital.
The accused is a resident of Buguda area in Ganjam. He has been staying alone on rent in the village for the past several months.
As the news of the girl’s death spread, angry villagers blocked the main road at Mahulgadia market late Thursday night.
Leaders from various political parties also joined the villagers during the road blockade. Later, police reached the spot and placated the agitators. However, the situation worsened when the news of a former Sarpanch misbehaving with the victim’s father at the police station reached the village.
Consequently, over 100 enraged residents of Jatni staged a gherao of the Jatni police station Friday demanding the immediate arrest of the former Sarpanch of the Jamukoli panchayat, Kartika Parida, for his misdemeanour.
In the wake of the agitation, the Commissionerate Police deployed one platoon of security force in the area to control the fuming public. Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Anup Sahu reached Jatni police station and assured them of stringent action against the accused as per the law. Both the top cops also assured the villagers that a special team will probe the matter and submit its probe report within a stipulated time.
Till the time of filing this report the situation remained tense in the area.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the state police to initiate stern actions against the accused.
