The Odisha State Human Rights Commission has asked the district superintendent of police of Koraput to submit a report within two weeks on the alleged gang rape of a woman in police custody earlier this month.
The commission’s direction came in response to a complaint flied by human rights activist and lawyer Biswapriya Kanungo on Saturday. "I have prayed to the commission to order an independent inquiry into the matter. Appropriate action should be immediately taken against those found guilty and a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh should be provided to the victim," Kanungo told Hindustan Times on Sunday.
The police had picked up the woman along with six others on September 4 in the Narayanpatna block area of the district, more than 500km south-west of Bhubaneswar, for her alleged Maoist link. They were kept in the police custody for two days, during which she was alleged to be raped.
“When the police produced them in a local court on September 6, they were not represented by a lawyer,” said Kanungo. The woman and others are now in Koraput jail.