Bhubaneswar: Public anger has intensified in Odisha’s Baleshwar district following the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Jaleswar police limits.
In the latest development, police detained three additional suspects, including a woman, for questioning to determine their possible involvement in the crime, following a formal complaint lodged by the victim’s parents. The primary accused, 23-year-old Chandrakanta Jena of Sultanpur village, was arrested on Friday and subsequently remanded to judicial custody after a local court rejected his bail application.
The teenager went missing on October 16 after leaving home to attend a dance class accompanied by the accused. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect took her to an isolated location, sexually assaulted her, and strangled her to death when she threatened to report the matter to her parents. After an intense search, her decomposed and partially burnt body was found on Thursday beneath a tree at Dherapada, along the road connecting Shulashanda and Bartana villages.
The handling of the missing person complaint also sparked intense backlash and accusations of police inaction. The victim’s family alleged that despite naming a suspect when filing the initial report at Nampo police outpost on October 16, neither the sub-inspector nor the IIC made any significant effort to trace the girl.
Addressing the widespread outcry and road blockades, Balasore SP Pratyush Diwakar suspended Nampo outpost sub-inspector Karan Marandi and shunted Jaleswar police station IIC Ashok Barik to the district police headquarters.
Political leaders across party lines have strongly condemned the crime. Congress leader Sudarshan Das, Bhograi BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das, and local human rights activists called for death penalty for the prime suspect and life imprisonment for any accomplices, stating that strict punishment is vital to act as a deterrent against such heinous offenses.
Escalating the matter, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) held a press conference following a visit by a fact-finding team constituted by state party president Bhakta Charan Das. Citing potential external influence, evidence tampering, and severe procedural lapses, Congress leaders demanded that the investigation be immediately handed over Crime Branch for a fair and comprehensive probe. Party spokesperson Manisha Dash Pattnaik categorized the crime as a pre-planned atrocity, demanding financial compensation and a government job for the victim’s family, while criticising the state government’s response.
Congress General Secretary Bank Bihari Behera subsequently announced an eight-hour local bandh scheduled for October 27 from 6 am to 2 pm in the area, preceded by torchlight processions and public rallies. Emergency transport, national highways, and railway services would remain exempt from the shutdown.
