Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the alleged gang rape of a minor girl in Kuchinda area of Odisha’s Sambalpur district.
The opposition party made the demand after its fact-finding committee submitted its report to BJD president Naveen Patnaik after visiting Kuchinda.
Addressing a press meet at Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, leader of the BJD fact-finding committee Snehangini Chhuria demanded that Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik be brought within the purview of investigation.
She alleged that BJP leaders, including Naik, attempted to suppress the incident by pressurising the police.
It may be noted that Kuchinda police initially filed a case of kidnapping of a minor girl, and subsequently converted it to that of gang rape. The police also arrested five accused for their alleged involvement in the crime.
The BJD fact-finding committee had visited Hadipali in Kuchinda and met the survivor and her family.
The family of the victim claimed when the girl went to the police station to seek conversion of the kidnapping into a gang rape case, the police initially denied and in fact allegedly discouraged her from filing the case.
