Bhubaneswar: Police in Bhubaneswar have registered a case of rape against Biju Janata Dal (BJD) corporator Amaresh Jena on the basis of a complaint lodged by a 19-year-old girl, who accused him of sexually exploiting her since September 2023, when she was a minor, on the pretext of marriage.
The case was filed under the BNS Sections 64 (2) (rape), 89 (committing miscarriage without woman’s permission), 296 (obscene act), and 352 (criminal intimidation), besides Section 6 of the POCSO Act, at the Laxmisagar police station, where the survivor lodged a complaint on Wednesday.
According to the complainant, she met Jena for the first time in June 2023 during Raja festivities and their friendship grew thereafter. She further alleged that the corporator convinced her to terminate her 2-month pregnancy in February last year, promising that he would marry her after getting a divorce from his wife. He, however, began to avoid her from April this year. When she sought commitment, she was cheated, threatened and intimidated. “When I asked him to marry me, he threatened and asked me to leave Bhubaneswar,” she claimed.
The girl has threatened self-immolation if no action is taken on her complaint.
Police have recorded her statement under Section 183 of the BNSS, sent her for a medical examination, and initiated an investigation into the case.
The corporator, however, is yet to be arrested.
The BJD too is yet to issue a statement on the issue.
Earlier this week, police arrested the state president of NSUI, Udit Pradhan, on charges of raping an engineering student.
