Balasore: Police on Saturday detained three forest guards on charges of attempting to rape a woman of Tenda village under Sajanagarh panchayat of Nilagiri Sub-Division in Odisha’s Balasore district the previous night.
Sources said a 40-year-old woman of Tenda village had grown Taichung paddy in her field. To protect the crop from wild animals, she had erected scaffolding on a tree near Sataghati Bandh close to Tenda Forest Beat House inside Kuldiha Sanctuary.
On Friday night, the woman was sleeping with her minor daughter on the scaffolding when four Forest guards of the Tenda Beat House—Anjan Das, Ganeswar Biswal, Khudiram Singh and Muskan Singh—climbed the tree with the help of a ladder and tried to rape the woman. However, they ran away when she shouted for help.
Hearing her screams, some villagers rushed to the spot. When the woman narrated her ordeal, the irate villagers gheraoed the Beat House and brought Anjan Das, Ganeswar Biswal, Khudiram Singh out of the office. The three forest guards were taken to the village and severely thrashed by the villagers. Later, they tied them to a tree and informed the police.
Dinabandhu Mohant, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Nilagiri police station, said a detailed inquiry will be conducted. “The three forest guards and the victim would undergo medical examination,” he added.
However, Forest Ranger Laxman Pradhan refuted the rape attempt charges.
“The husband of the woman, Sukant Singh, had poached a deer inside the sanctuary, day before yesterday. In this connection, the forest staff had gone to the village. But they did not find him there. However, they seized the veal from the house. Continuing with their search, the forest guards went to the scaffolding. Not finding him there, they came back,” he added.
The Ranger, however, failed to give a satisfactory reply when asked about the veal seized from Singh’s house.
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