Dalit girl gang rape embarrasses Patnaik govt
The alleged gang rape of a Dalit girl has become a major embarrassment for the Naveen Patnaik led BJD government in Odisha after the victim’s family claimed that the perpetrators of the crime belonged to the ruling regional outfit and were known as close associates of Pradip Maharathi, the state’s agriculture minister.
The incident took place in Pipli, Maharathi’s assembly constituency. The senior minister has denied the charge.
The state government has ordered a crime branch probe into the incident after the Odisha High Court and state human rights commission intervened. The girl is now struggling for her life in Sriram Chandra Bhanja (SCB) medical college and hospital, the biggest government run health facility in the state located at Cuttack.
Maharathi, however, insisted that he had no connections with the people who committed the crime. “The crime branch is probing the case and the high court is monitoring it. The actual facts would come to light very soon.”
