Raped Multiples Times, Forced To Terminate Pregnancy; Know The Charges Against Odisha MLA Bijaya Shankar Das

Bhubaneswar: The sitting Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA from Tirtol Bijaya Shankar Das has been booked for rape and forcefully terminating the pregnancy of a woman with whom he allegedly was in a relationship.

The police registered the case against the MLA under Sections 376 (rape), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on Friday after the Orissa High Court directed the victim to approach the police with a fresh complaint.

The 29-year-old woman, who had initially lodged a complaint against the MLA on May 13 last year, had moved the court alleging police inaction on her complaint. Following which, a single bench of Justice S K Panigrahi on January 27 issued a directive to the Jagatsinghpur IIC to register the case against the MLA.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was raped multiple times by Bijaya over the past two years on the pretext of marriage. She further claimed that she had become pregnant twice and was forced to terminate her pregnancy.

Jagatsinghpur police station IIC Subhanshu Parida also informed that the woman had also filed a complaint against Bijaya’s uncle Manas Das and his two sons, for abusing and threatening her. “We are investigating the case,” he added.

The BJD legislator has also been accused of skipping his own wedding.

According to sources, the MLA and the victim from Deuligrameswer under Jagatsinghpur police limits knew each other while studying at SVM college. As things turned bad between them, she made public their personal video during the last panchayat polls. She also approached the SP on the matter.

Both, however, agreed to solemnise the marriage with mediation and counselling on May 17, 2022.

On June 18, 2022, the woman lodged an FIR in Jagatsinghpur police station alleging sexual harassment, betrayal and cheating by the legislator after he failed to turn up for marriage registration at the office of the sub-registrar in the district.

She had also accused him of running a sex racket and engaging innocent girls in illegal activity. The MLA used the money collected through the sex racket for election-related expenses, she alleged.

Bijaya got elected to the Assembly in November 2020 following the death of his father.