Minor girl torching case: Crime Branch sleuths record victim’s statement

Rourkela: The Crime Branch police, which is probing into the torching of a minor girl at Madhupur village in Kalahandi district, today recorded the statement of the victim at Ispat General Hospital (IGH) here.

Reports said a three-member Crime Branch team went to IGH where the victim is undergoing treatment, and recorded her statement which was videographed.

The condition of the victim is stated to be critical, hospital sources said.

Meanwhile, a four-member Crime Branch team led by a lady Inspector has been camping at Narla. The team had collected details of the case from Narla police station yesterday. After collecting the details, the team had gone to Madhupur village for investigation.

The local police had arrested six accused including two prime accused Bulu Das and Shyama Sahoo. While the minor accused Shyama Sahoo was sent to the Juvenile jail, the others were sent to jail.

The girl, who was torched for protesting eve teasing, is a student of TRW School at Madhupur under Lanjigarh block. The incident took place when she had gone to a nearby stream to attend nature’s call on Wednesday afternoon. Two youths, identified as Bulu Das and Shyama Sahoo of the same village, had passed lewd comments at her.

The girl had protested and informed the matter to her parents. Her mother then had cautioned the youths for the act.

Enraged by her mother’s warning, the two youths had abused the girl’s father in presence of others. Later in the evening when the girl was alone in her house, they trespassed and allegedly set her on fire after dousing her with kerosene oil, police sources said.

Hearing the girl’s screams, local people rescued her and rushed her to a hospital. But as her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to VIMSAR at Burla and later to IGH where Union minister Jual Oram met her yesterday and enquired about her health condition.

Expressing grave concern over the incident, Oram announced free treatment of the minor girl.