Another minor girl gang-raped in Bhubaneswar, 2 arrested; Odisha govt vows strict action

A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped near Daya River in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Following complaint, police today arrested two persons in connection with the case.

The 17‑year‑old girl was allegedly assaulted on the banks of the Daya River by the arrested accused - Bibhu Prasad Mishra and Kalandi Patra. 

The Odisha State Commission for Women (OSCW) took the incident seriously, and an OSCW team was heading to the spot at the time of reporting.

According to reports, the girl and her male friend went to the area near the Daya River when the two accused allegedly cornered them. They had allegedly followed the girl and her male friend from a distance. 

The two men first allegedly snatched away her gold chain, mobile phones, purse, wallet and cash. They were later joined by their two other associates. After this, the four individuals brutally thrashed the male friend and allegedly gang‑raped the minor girl. 

Following the incident, the girl returned home and informed her family about the ordeal, after which a police complaint was registered at Dhauli Police Station.

Police Trace Accused Using CCTV Footage

During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage installed at private structures in the locality and reportedly obtained clues about the perpetrators. Police also visited the incident site with a forensic team, following which the arrests were made.

According to reports, Bibhu Prasad Mishra hails from Banki, while Kalandi Patra reportedly hails from Cuttack’s Olatpur area. Both the accused reportedly have several other complaints registered against them. 

A brick kiln owner from the area said, “This area gets completely secluded during evening hours. Police patrolling is not done in this area for the reason that criminals and addicts use this spot for illegal activities. If police patrolling had been regular in this area, such a shameful thing would not have happened again.”

The male friend of the survivor, in his statement, said, “We went towards Dhauli around 5:00 pm. She was with me and we roamed around a bit, and, while leaving around 7:00 pm, suddenly two men came out of the nearby jungle. They then stopped their bike in front of my vehicle, took away the keys and demanded money. When we said that we did not have any money, they took away our phones and wallet and checked them. When they found no money, they picked us up and took us to a different location where they physically assaulted me.”

He further said, “They took my aunt’s daughter to an even denser area, they kept her there and recorded her videos. They were also getting a stone to hit us; they physically assaulted her as well. They tortured us till 9:30 pm and threatened us not to reveal the incident to anyone or the police and said that if we do so, they would circulate our videos.”

Family Seeks Strictest Action

The victim’s family demanded strict action against the accused. The survivor and her male friend stated before the judge that the strictest possible action should be taken against those involved.

Law Minister's Response

Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the government is treating the Dhauli gang‑rape case with utmost seriousness, in line with its approach to all crimes, particularly those involving women. 

He said, “This is a very shameful incident that happened. In any crime, especially related to women, the government took proper action. Be it Pitabas Panda’s murder or any crimes related to women across Odisha, the government took appropriate steps. The accused in all those cases were arrested and faced action; similarly, in this case, the government will take appropriate steps as well. The government is considering very seriously setting up a fast‑track women’s court so that women will be served justice right away in such cases.”