Four arrested in Odisha for assaulting tribal girl over theft allegations

Police said the accused allegedly tied the tribal girl to a pole, beat her up and put a garland of used shoes on her

Updated on: Feb 19, 2023, 16:54:07 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The police in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district have arrested four persons for allegedly assaulting a tribal girl accusing her of stealing ₹900 and some slippers from a house, officials said on Saturday.

The four men assaulted the tribal girl accusing her of stealing ₹900 and some slippers from a house (Representative Image)

The girl from Tarangapuri village under Kundei police station area had gone to the forest nearby to collect Mahua flowers on Friday afternoon when some youngsters of the village dragged her from the forest to the centre of the village accusing her of stealing ₹900 and some slippers from the house of one Bhagirathi Gond, a villager.

“The youths then tied her to a pole, beat her up and put a garland of used shoes on her. They abused her in filthy language and humiliated her,” said inspector of Kundei police station Prashant Sethi. The video of the incident went viral on social media platforms.

Following the incident, the girl’s parents filed a complaint at Kundei police station. On the basis of the complaint, police have arrested Bhagi Gond, Janak Gond, Jal Gond and Aganu Gond in connection with the case.

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