Two TV channel workers among 4 held for minor’s ‘gang rape’
BHUBANESWAR: The state Crime Branch on Monday arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the gang rape of a 13-year-old girl in the capital city in August.
The accused were identified as Anirudha Panda, Krushna Behera, Sribachha Samal and Bijay Rout. While Panda and Behera are employees of a private news channel, Samal and Rout were posted as security guards at the channel’s office here.
The survivor’s mother had lodged a complaint with Mahila Police here on August 30 against the four persons and a police officer for allegedly sexually assaulting her daughter. While the case was initially probed by commissionerate police, the Crime Branch took over the investigation on October 6 following a directive from DGP Abhay.
The arrest of the accused came after the Orissa high court recently expressed displeasure over poor investigation into the case and asked Abhay to appear before it personally, via video. The court was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Gautam Siddique, seeking a CBI probe into the case. The DGP appeared before the high court on November 18 and filed an affidavit on the progress of the Crime Branch probe.
The timing of the arrest is significant as additional director-general of police (Crime Branch) Soumendra Priyadarshi is scheduled to appear before the high court on Wednesday to brief it on the progress of the investigation.
“We have arrested the four accused named in the FIR. The investigation is under progress. The alleged complicity of Subash Chandra Mishra, an sub-inspector in Sundargarh district, in the gang rape is being examined,” a senior Crime Branch officer said.
DGP Abhay’s affidavit before the high court said the involvement of the sub-inspector in the case had not been ascertained. The affidavit, quoting the Sundargarh SP, said the sub-inspector was on duty when the alleged gang rape occurred in Bhubaneswar.
Congress MLA Suresh Rautray alleged that the Crime Branch was shielding the sub-inspector and were targeting the employees of the news channel. Police denied the charges. “Whoever is found guilty will be brought to justice,” the DGP told media.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)