Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay Tuesday ordered a Crime Branch (CB) inquiry into the alleged rape of a minor tribal girl at Biramitrapur police station in Sundargarh and her subsequent illegal abortion.
The DGP, in his official Twitter page, said, “I have ordered the Crime Branch to take charge of investigation of Raiboga Police case No 41/2020(Rape and POCSO Act Case). The Crime Branch team has already left for Sundargarh.”
CB ADG SK Priyadarshi told media persons in Cuttack that a four-member CB team, led by a lady DSP, left for Sundargarh Tuesday to take charge of the investigation from the local police. The CB SP has also left for Sundargarh, he said.
The ADG said that the case is sensitive. Since police personnel are allegedly involved in the incident Biramitrapur police inspector in-charge (IIC) has been placed under suspension after the incident.
The Child Welfare Committee had also filed a complaint with the Raiboga police against six persons including the Biramitrapur IIC, Anand Chandra Majhi, a doctor, step father of the victim and three others in connection with the incident.
As per the allegation, the girl had come to witness a fair at Biramitrapur area March 25 but it was cancelled at the last moment due to the lockdown. The girl failed to return home and was roaming near the bus stand when a police patrolling team saw her and brought her to the police station. Inspector Majhi allegedly raped her on the top floor of the police station. She was dropped at her home the next day. However, she was called to the police station regularly and raped by the inspector and other police officials.
As the minor became pregnant, the cop illegally and forcibly aborted her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, a five-member delegation of the BJP had called on the DGP Monday and alleged that since police personnel are involved in the case, police was not taking any action in a bid to shield the culprits.
The saffron party has also alleged that a tribal woman working in a police canteen in Malkangiri district was gang-raped May 7 last.
Though her husband alleged that she was raped and filed an FIR, the police have not taken any action yet.
The BJP delegation demanded the DGP to direct the police to register a case under SC/ST Atrocities Act, pay compensation of Rs 8.25 lakh and provide protection to the victims’ families in both the cases.
BJP state general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan Tuesday blamed the state government for not filing cases against the accused under SC/ST Atrocities Act. The state government, he said, has not been proactive as it should be and trying to shield the guilty.
He demanded the government to inquire into the cases by constituting a special investigation team (SIT) and threatened that his party will continue agitation till justice was meted out to the victims.