20-year-old college student gang-raped on Odisha beach; 7 detained: Police

Police said the survivor was visiting the beach with her male friend to celebrate the Raja festival when 10 men approached her, overpowered her friend, and gang-raped her

Published on: Jun 16, 2025, 21:46:56 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 20-year-old college student, who was strolling on the Gopalpur sea beach of Odisha’s Ganjam district on Sunday evening, was allegedly gang-raped by around 10 men after the assailants overpowered her male friend, police said on Monday.

Police said the accused are not local residents and had come to the beach during the Raja festival. (Representational image)

Police said the survivor, an undergraduate student at a private college in Ganjam, was visiting the beach with her friend to celebrate the Raja festival when 10 men approached her. The accused then tied up her friend and sexually assaulted her one by one, said Berhampur superintendent of police (SP) Vivek Saravana, quoting the FIR.

Saravana said police have detained seven suspects for interrogation, with efforts ongoing to apprehend the remaining absconding accused. “A special team has been formed to expedite the arrests and all culprits will be brought to justice soon. The survivor has been sent to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for a medical examination, and the detained suspects will also undergo medical tests as part of the investigation,” he said.

Police said the accused are not local residents and had come to the beach during the Raja festival.

As per the white paper on crimes released by state home department in March this year, Odisha saw 8 % rise in number of rape cases in 2024 compared to 2023.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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