Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch on Tuesday began a probe into the rape and abortion of a minor girl of Raibaga panchayat in Biramitrapur area in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.
“The Crime Branch has taken up the investigation into the case lodged in the Raibaga police station on this matter following the directive of the Director General of Police (DGP). The case is highly sensitive as a minor girl is the victim and a police officer is involved in this in this incident,” Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, Soumendra Priyadarshi told the media here.
He said a four-member Crime Branch team led by a woman DSP has left for Sundargarh this morning while the Crime Branch SP-I will leave for the districts later in the day to review and monitor the case. We hope that the Crime Branch will successfully investigate the case.
The victim had come to witness a fair at Biramitrapur area on March 25. But as it was cancelled due to the lockdown, she could not return home and was roaming near the bus stand when a police patrolling team saw her and brought her to the Biramitrapur police station where the IIC Anand Chandra Majhi allegedly raped her. The victim was dropped at her home the next day. Later, she was called to the police station regularly and raped by the IIC and other police officials. The girl later got pregnant following which Majhi tried to abort her foetus.
The incident came to light after the district child protection officer of Sundargarh S Jena came to know about the crime and lodged a complaint with Raiboga police against the IIC, another police personnel, the stepfather of the victim, the doctor who conducted the abortion at a community health centre, and two others.
Also Read: Odisha DGP Suspends Police Station In-Charge Over ‘Rape & Pregnancy Termination’ Of 13-Year-Old Girl
Acting on the complaint, DIG, Western Range, Kavita Jalan had placed the IIC under suspension on June 26.
Meanwhile, the suspended IIC and five other accused are absconding.
Condemning the gross apathy of the police earlier in the day, BJP state general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said that the police till date are yet to register a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He said the party will continue its fight to ensure justice to the victim and her family till the accused are arrested.
