Balangir: In a shocking incident, a Class IX girl student was allegedly gangraped by her classmates inside a government school in Odisha’s Balangir district.
The incident took place a week ago in Turekela police limits and came to light on Monday after a video of the crime went viral, following which police detained six persons, including five classmates of the survivor. The prime accused has been identified as Sushant Sahu (22), a resident of the same village, police sources said..
The boys allegedly committed the offence after a tuition session.
The accused were detained after one of her relatives who saw the viral video approached Balangir SP Abilash G and lodged a complaint.
According to the complaint filed by the girl’s parents, Sahu allegedly entered the classroom while the teacher was not present. Together with four minors who were also there, he convinced the girl to accompany them. She was then taken to an undisclosed location, where she was reportedly subjected to sexual assault. Sahu is accused of recording a video of the assault and sharing it on social media.
Amid public outrage over the incident, Northern Range IG Himanshu Lal reached Tureikela on Wednesday to look into the ongoing investigation. He was accompanied by Balangir SP. The IG confirmed that all accused are in custody and cases have been registered under relevant sections of the IPC/BNS and the IT Act due to the viral nature of the video.
The SP also met representatives from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to ensure that the investigation is proceeding in a sensitive, legally compliant manner, while giving proper attention and care to the welfare of the survivor.
