Kendrapara minor girl gangrape case: BJP drags 2 Odisha Ministers into controversy; to move NCW

The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday trained its gun on two Ministers of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in connection with the alleged gangrape of a minor girl in Kendrapara.  The BJP Mahila Morcha today accused ministers- Atanau Sabyasachi Nayak and Ranendra Pratap Swain of shielding the accused involved in the heinous crime.

Addressing a presser today, BJP Mahila Morcha leader Aiswarya Biswal alleged, “How the close aides of two ministers are associated in the kidnapping and gangrape of the minor girl? What disciplinary action has been taken by the Odisha government on the ministers who are directly or indirectly involved or associated with such heinous crimes in the past 23 years?”

Biswal further informed that the BJP’s fact-finding team had conducted a probe and will soon move the National Commission For Women (NCW) so that such kind of incidents do not occur elsewhere.

“The accused, who were arrested in the case, are linked to one of the ministers. The concerned minister needs to answer how his associates were involved in such heinous crimes,” Biswal added.

The BJP leader questioned how the minor girl was sedated in the college common room and abducted. Moreover, college lecturer Ramakant Pani is also issuing threats to the victim’s family, the BJP alleged.

The Saffron party demanded action against the lecturer who happens to be the close aide of the Higher Education Minister, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, and the accused who is said to be the aide of the Agriculture Minister, Ranendra Swain.

Responding to the allegations, senior BJD leader Sashi Bhusan Behera said, “It is the own programme of the BJP and I have nothing to say on it. If they can sway people, it is their success. Our (BJD) success is only measured through the development of people.”