Minor girl's rape in Odisha: Maoists deny involvement

The Maoists' denial was in response to the suspicion of the police that the ultras in combat uniform might have raped the girl.

Bhubaneswar, Oct 14: The outlawed CPI (Maoist) has condemned the rape of a minor tribal girl in Koraput district and denied its involvement in the crime.

The Andhra-Odisha border special zonal committee spokesperson Jagabandhu in an audio tape last night denounced the act and called for a Koraput bandh on October 16 to protest against the incident.

"We are not involved in the incident. We never do such kind of heinous acts. We are being falsely implicated in the case. We'll observe a bandh in Koraput district on October 16," Jagabandhu said.

The Maoists' denial was in response to the suspicion of the police that the ultras in combat uniform might have raped the girl. The CRPF, the BSF and local police engaged in anti-Maoist operations in the area have already denied the involvement of their personnel in the rape.

A Class 11th student of Sorisapadar village was raped allegedly by four uniformed men while she was returning from a hut on Tuesday. The incident had sparked off a public outcry. The opposition Congress has also given a 7-hour bandh call on Monday, demanding immediate arrest of culprits involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, the State Commission for Women (SCW) has registered a case to ensure speedy action. The panel has sent a four-member team to Koraput to meet the survivor and discuss progress of the investigation in the matter with police officials. The police have formed five separate teams for investigating the case which has been accorded a Red flag tag.

A team of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also visited the district and enquired about the health condition of the victim. A seven-member inter-disciplinary team of doctors has also been formed, officials said.

PTI