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Odisha: BJD legislator accused of rape, cops file FIR
The Odisha Police have filed an FIR against a legislator of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after woman accused him of rape. The woman has alleged that Srinath Soren and an accomplice have raped her at the politician’s residence.
TThe Odisha Police on Monday filed an FIR against a legislator of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after a 38-year-old woman accused him of rape.
The woman alleged Srinath Soren, the MLA of Udala in Mayurbhanj district, and an accomplice had raped her at the politician’s residence.
“We have started an investigation after registering the case. The woman has undergone medical tests,” local sub-divisional police officer KC Nayak said on Tuesday.
Soren, however, termed the allegation false and baseless. “It is a conspiracy by my opponents to tarnish my image.”
According to the woman, the incident took place on January 3 at the MLA’s house in Udala, about 250 km north of state capital Bhubaneswar.
She alleged Soren had promised her a job, which never came her way, and had taken Rs 1 lakh from her.
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When she asked Soren to return the money, the legislator allegedly invited her to his house. The woman said she was locked in a room and gang-raped by Soren and an aide.
“I managed to escape after someone knocked the door,” she said in her complaint.
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The woman added she had approached the local police station soon after the incident, but the police refused to accept her complaint.
Thereafter, she took up the matter with the sub-divisional judicial magistrate court, which directed the police to register a case and initiate an investigation.
