Odisha: Minor 'raped' in Bhubaneswar, physically challenged girl sexually assaulted in Malkangiri

Bhubaneswar/Malkangiri, Dec 21 (PTI) A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped at a rented house in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place around 2 pm on December 18, and two accused have been arrested, they said.

"The girl was subjected to sexual assault without her consent by two persons in the rented accommodation in the city," a police officer said.

The accused had reportedly promised the girl a data entry operator job and called her to the house to discuss it, he said.

A case has been registered in this connection at Shaheed Nagar Police Station, the officer said.

"Both the accused were produced before a court, which forwarded them to judicial custody," he said.

This is the second such incident in Bhubaneswar in a span of 10 days. The accused was forwarded to the court and sent to jail, the police said Sunday.

A report from Malkangiri district said police arrested a 44-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting a physically challenged 12-year-old girl.

The incident took place on December 15 when the victim's parents were not present at home. The girl's father filed a complaint at the police station on December 17, and police arrested the accused, who was on the run, on Saturday.

The police said the accused was booked under relevant sections, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the victim belonged to the Koya tribe. The medical examination of the girl has been conducted, and she is recovering at home, they said.

Meanwhile, expressing serious concern over the Bhubaneswar incident, BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik alleged that the state capital Bhubaneswar, is becoming unsafe for women, as another minor girl was gang raped in Bhubaneswar in broad daylight.

"When will the BJP government wake up? Where has law and order gone? Is the government, which plays false charades of being the 'people's government', providing safety to the people at all?," he asked on X.

Patnaik further alleged that women in the capital are feeling deeply insecure as the BJP government has failed to ensure a safe environment for the people.

The BJD chief advised the BJP government to become alert and take proactive steps to strictly enforce law and order in the state.

Reacting to the X post of Patnaik, BJP leader Surath Biswal said, "Naveen Babu should first revisit the old crime records of his tenure and compare the timeframe of police action in such sensitive incidents." Now, under the BJP rule, police take immediate action whenever any such incident happens and arrest the accused persons, he claimed.

On the evening of December 10, another 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped near Dhalui Peace Pagoda on the outskirts of the city.

Police have arrested three people, and an investigation is underway. PTI COR AAM RBT BBM AAM RG