Seven year Tibet-origin girl ‘raped’ in Gajapati; minor boy held

Berhampur: A seven-year-old Tibet-origin girl was allegedly raped by a minor boy in Gajapati district, police said Monday.

The incident took place in a village under Mohana police station limits Sunday, and the 16-year old accused was apprehended.

The victim’s family is one of the thousands that have fled from Tibet along with their spiritual leader in the 1960s and settled in the district.

The accused, who lives in the same area but belongs to another community, allegedly raped the minor inside her home, while she was alone. Her parents had gone to attend a social function, leaving their home, police said.

The mother of the girl filed a police complaint against the boy after the victim narrated the incident.

“We have registered a case against the boy under various sections of the BNS and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and launched an investigation” Gajapati Superintendent of Police Jatidra Panda said.

He said that medical tests of both the accused and the victim have been conducted. The accused would be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Sources said the family of the victim had earlier extended financial support to the accused on various occasions, including his education. He has proximity to the house of the victim and is known to her parents.

Around 2500 Tibetans were settled in Gajapati district in 1964. They have been staying in five camps at Chandragiri, Jiranga, Takillipadar, Labarsingh and Mahendragarh since then.

Meanwhile, Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das said, “The sexual assault on a Tibetan minor exposes a disturbing collapse of law & order under the BJP government. Such disgraceful crimes tarnish the state’s global image and wound our collective conscience.”

The safety and dignity of every woman must be an uncompromising priority, he said in a post on X.