Dhauli minor girl’s gang-rape: Youth Congress attempts to gherao Odisha CM’s residence, resorts to egg pelting in Bhubaneswar

The Odisha Youth Congress on Saturday attempted to gherao the official residence of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, demanding justice for the minor girl who was allegedly gang-raped near the Dhauli area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

The protest march was halted midway after police intervened and blocked the advancing protesters, citing security concerns.

Sources reported that the situation turned tense when Youth Congress workers raised slogans against the Chief Minister and the state government. As police tried to stop them from proceeding further, some protesters resorted to egg pelting, with eggs reportedly thrown towards police personnel deployed at the spot. To prevent escalation, police detained several Youth Congress members.

Around 20 to 25 Youth Congress activists were taken into preventive custody. The Deputy Commissioner of Police reached the protest site to take stock of the situation and supervise crowd control measures.

Congress Alleges Delay In Justice

Youth Congress leaders stated that the protest was organised to highlight what they alleged as a lack of urgency by the Home Department in ensuring justice for the survivor. The party alleged that despite the seriousness of the crime, the Odisha government's response had been inadequate, prompting the youth wing to take to the streets.

Protesters accused the administration of failing to send a strong message against crimes involving sexual assault of minors. They also alleged that police action against the protesters was an attempt to suppress voices demanding accountability.

BJP Counters Claims, Cites Police Action

Reacting to the protest, Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal dismissed the agitation as politically motivated. “All of this is pure drama. The Congress knows it is facing an existential crisis and is about to split, hence it has resorted to such measures,” Biswal said.

He further claimed that a background check of the protesters would reveal multiple pending cases against several of them. 
On the Dhauli incident, Biswal said, “The perpetrators have been arrested. From crime scene recreation to the arrest of the prime accused, all required actions have been taken on a war footing.” He added that the Women’s Commission had also conducted an inquiry, and all laid-down protocols have been followed by the police.

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Progress In Dhauli Minor Gang-Rape Case

Earlier, Commissionerate Police carried out a crime scene recreation at the Daya River embankment under Dhauli police limits in connection with the gang rape of the minor girl. The recreation was conducted with the prime accused, Satya Prakash Hati, to verify the sequence of events and gather corroborative evidence.

Hati was arrested in Ganjam by a joint team of the Special Squad and Dhauli police after remaining on the run following the incident.

The alleged crime took place on December 10 near the Dhauli Shanti Stupa area, where the minor girl and her male friend were intercepted by three accused near the riverbank under the jurisdiction of Dhauli police station, as per police records.