A wave of public fury and political tension gripped Odisha’s Bhadrak district following the alleged rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in the Chandbali area.
After the discovery of the minor’s body on Tuesday evening, enraged locals demolished the house of the accused, police said on Wednesday.
The victim disappeared on Tuesday morning after leaving for school. When she failed to return in the afternoon, her family filed a missing person report.
The incident came to the fore when some people found the body of the minor girl near a bush in Baligaon in Chandbali police station area on Tuesday evening, another officer said.
The girl’s father alleged that she was raped and murdered and then her body dumped in the bush.
Bhadrak Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar Rout said that the prime suspect was apprehended in Jagatsinghpur district within 24 hours.
As soon as the news about the incident spread, local residents took to the streets on Tuesday night. The agitation intensified on Wednesday morning, with protesters blocking roads in at least three places in Chandbali area. They also gheraoed the local police station. When the accused was identified, enraged locals stormed his house in Rampalli village and demolished it.
“Police arrested the prime accused within 24 hours of the incident,” the SP said, adding he has been personally monitoring the case.
Heavy security forces have been deployed in the region to maintain order as the post-mortem and scientific evidence collection continue. The SP has appealed people not to take the law into their hands.
DIG, eastern range, Pinak Mishra said that a team of doctors are conducting a post-mortem examination and a scientific team is collecting evidence. “We will take the case to its logical conclusion,” he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced Rs 10 lakh in financial assistance for the family of the deceased and ordered a high-level probe to ensure the “strictest possible punishment” for the accused in accordance with the law.
Deputy CM Pravati Parida and Law Minister Pritihiviraj Harichandan emphasized the government’s commitment to swift justice, noting that the police have been given a “free hand” to act.
In a post on X, the CMO said, “Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed profound grief over the unprecedented incident at Chandbali in Bhadrak district and offered prayers for the departed soul’s eternal peace.”
“The Hon’ble Chief Minister has directed that the incident be properly investigated and the culprits be awarded the severest possible punishment in accordance with the law, while announcing assistance of 10 lakh rupees from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of the victim,” it added.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in charge of the Women and Child Development Department, said that strict action will be taken.
“The accused involved in the Chandbali case was swiftly arrested. The government is working to prevent such heinous crimes. Social awareness must also be created,” she said.
Law Minister Pritihiviraj Harichandan said that police have been given a free hand to take stringent action regarding crimes against women.
“Under the BJP government, accused in such cases are arrested within 48-72 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 said.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Naveen Patnaik, condemned the heinous incident, stating it has shaken the civilised society to its core.
Opposition parties BJD and Congress separately called a six-hour Chandbali block bandh from 6 am on Thursday in protest against the incident.
BJD’s Chandbali MLA Byomakesh Ray condemned the incident. Angry locals staged a protest in the Chandbali area, while BJD workers demonstrated outside the CM’s official residence in Bhubaneswar.
The opposition party accused the BJP government of failing to contain incidents of sexual assaults on women and girls across the state.
In a post on X, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik said, “It is utterly heinous. It has shaken civilised society to its core. The increasing incidents of such crimes in Odisha, along with the government’s utter inaction, have left everyone shaken and terrified.”
He also claimed that the image of Odisha, once renowned for women’s safety and strong law and order, is now being tarnished before the entire world.
“While women’s safety in the state has deteriorated, the BJP government’s indifference is astonishing everyone. Why is the government dragging its feet in taking exemplary steps to ensure a safe environment for all? How many more innocent lives must be lost before the government wakes up? Odisha’s mothers and sisters want safety, not the empty fireworks of the double-engine government’s false promises,” the BJD president added.
Before the situation worsens further, the government must step forward proactively and strictly enforce security measures, he further said.
At a press conference, Odisha Congress leaders criticised the BJP government over the increasing crimes against women and asked the saffron party’s state president Manmohan Samal to issue a statement on the Chandbali incident.
Samal was the BJP’s candidate in Chandbali assembly segment in the 2024 elections.
Meanwhile, locals have alleged that the roadside shops erected on encroached land have been selling liquor and other intoxicants, which has led to the rise in crimes in the region.
Police have started clearing the encroachments from the area, the SP said.
Local Tahsildar Bhabatosh Mallik said the unauthorised shops and being evicted from the encroached lands.
