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Unrest in Odisha after minor raped and murdered, opposition calls for bandh | 5 key updates
Opposition parties BJD and Congress called for a bandh from 6 am on Thursday in protest against the incident.
After a 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, locals demolished the house of the accused, police said on Wednesday.
Amid the outrage caused by the incident, the opposition parties BJD and Congress called for a bandh from 6 am on Thursday in protest against the incident, news agency PTI reported.
Top 5 updates in the case:
1. As news of the incident spread, locals took to the streets in protest. They reportedly blocked roads on Wednesday, intensifying the agitation. Protesters also gheraoed the local police station.
2. Heavy deployment of security forces has been made in the area, with the SP appealing to people not to take the law into their own hands.
3. In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed profound grief over the tragic incident and offered prayers for the departed soul’s eternal peace. “The Hon’ble Chief Minister has directed that the incident be properly investigated and that the culprits be awarded the severest possible punishment in accordance with the law. He also announced assistance of ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of the victim,” the statement said.
4. The opposition parties also accused the BJP government of failing to effectively handle cases of sexual assault against women across the state.
5. The body of a minor girl was found near a bus in Baligaon under the Chandbali police station area on Tuesday evening. A complaint was filed by the victim’s parents after she did not return from school on the day of the incident. Later, her body was recovered in a pool of blood.
What did the Law Minister of Odisha say?
Police have been given a free hand to take stringent action in cases of crimes against women, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan of Odisha said.
“Under the BJP government, accused in such cases are arrested within 48 to 72 hours. No accused is able to escape arrest. We have full faith that the police will do justice in the Chandbali incident as well,” he added.
DIG (Eastern Range) Pinak Mishra said a team of doctors is conducting the post-mortem examination, and a scientific team is collecting evidence. “We will take the case to its logical conclusion,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
