Baripada rape case victim recovering, govt provides help

Baripada: The condition of the physically challenged 11-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped in the Jagannath Temple premises here last week, is improving and the state has provided financial assistance to her family.

The alleged rape took place on last Friday night at the temple in Mayurbhanj district headquarter town and not in Puri as erroneously reported earlier.

The girl, who is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, is showing "quick" recovery and is likely to be discharged soon, officials said.

The Mayurbhanj district administration has provided financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the victim's family.

Earlier, it had given Rs 10,000 to them, Mayurbhanj District Collector R P Patil said.

In the aftermath of the incident, a large number of people had prayed before Lord Jagannath for her speedy recovery.

The activists of the BJP Yuva Morcha had held a rally that culminated at the Jagannath Temple here and lit lamps seeking the Lord's blessings for the quick recovery of the girl who was allegedly raped by an drug addict inside the temple.

Students of Baripada College also held a rally here and submitted a memorandum to Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dinajan Nayak.

The students, mostly girls, demanded stringent action against the accused, who was arrested immediately after the incident. The girl had gone inside the temple for a 'darshan', late on Friday night when the shrine was virtually deserted, police said.

Taking advantage of the situation, a 28-year-old youth escorted her to the 'bathing mandap' of the Lord and allegedly raped her. She was later rescued in a critical condition. Angry locals had caught the youth and handed him over to the police