Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 12: A man is running from pillar to post demanding the arrest of a person, who allegedly sexually assaulted his daughter in 2014. Although the incident took place two years ago, but the victim’s father, Pratap Barik of Dumduma, claims the police are yet to act in the case or arrest the accused.
Barik, a pine brush colourman, told Orissa POST that he had lodged a complaint with Mahila police in the first week of January 2015 but the cops have been very lackadaisical.
“As I had to go out, so I had left my daughter (aged 4 years at the time of the assault) at a relative’s place in Phuleswari Basti. A man named Hemant Behera alias Nanda of Begunia, who used to work with me, had visited my relative’s house in December 2014 and on seeing no one around, he sexually assaulted my daughter,” he alleged.
“Since the last two years I have been running to the police station seeking justice. However, the cops are deliberately delaying Behera’s arrest. The investigating officer (IO), who is a sub-inspector rank official, is on leave for the last eight months. The IO is also not handing over the case to some other cop. I met twin city Police Commissioner Yogesh Bahadur Khurania in this regard this September, and he has assured me the case will be handed over to someone else but so far the investigating official has not responded to his order,” Barik said.
He claimed that he used to visit Mahila police station regularly to enquire about the updates in the case. However, after a few months he filed a case in this regard in the Orissa High Court because the police were not acting on the complaint.
“My lawyer has told me that the court has summoned Mahila police station inspector-in-charge to appear September 16 in connection with the case. I want justice and if the police can’t ensure it, then I will commit suicide,” the father of the victim, who is now 6-year-old, added.
Mahila police station-inspector-in-charge Iman Kalyani Nayak confirmed that the IO of the said case is on maternity leave for the last eight months.
“I asked the officer to hand over the case to someone else, but she has not responded so far. The Police Commissioner and Bhubaneswar DCP have now asked her to hand over the case to some other cop in the police station,” she said.
