3 police stations refuse to prosecute Cuttack gang-rape case, says Congress

The police detained 6 people, including the woman’s boyfriend, for gang rape. (representative)

Bhubaneswar:

The Congress alleged that three police stations in Odisha’s Cuttack refused to accept the complaint of a 19-year-old college student who had survived multiple gang-rapes.

Cuttack-Barabati Congress MP Sophia Firdous demanded an inquiry into the role of the police in allegedly making the woman walk from one police station to another to file a complaint.

She claimed that the woman went to Puri Ghat police station, then to Sadar police station and then to Barangay before Badambadi police station lodged an FIR.

Police said they arrested six people, including the woman’s boyfriend, for gang-raping her several times and filming the acts.

The woman claimed that she had gone to a cafe with her boyfriend in the Puri Ghat police station area during Dussehra to celebrate her birthday. However, the boyfriend allegedly filmed some of their intimate moments on his phone with the help of the cafe owner.

With this video, the boyfriend and his friends blackmailed her and raped her several times. The statement was filed on November 4, and the suspects were detained over the next two days, police said.

On Saturday, Firdous met DGP YB Khurania regarding the incident and submitted a memorandum.

“When the victim went to lodge an FIR against the accused, three police stations in Cuttack refused to register her. So I have urged the DGP to investigate why the FIR was not lodged in the first place,” she told reporters.

“The delay is alarming and raises serious concerns about the law enforcement response, especially when it comes to investigating crimes against women,” she added.

Firdous claimed it was impossible to contact the victim at this time, expressing concern for her well-being and safety.

Stating that such incidents have never taken place in Cuttack, which is densely populated, she said, “If such incidents are happening now in this city, it is a matter of concern.” Cuttack Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena told PTI that an inquiry will be conducted into the allegations leveled by the MLA.

“We came to know that the police did not register a case first from the MLA. The police are certainly investigating the matter. However, neither the victim nor any of her family members have made any such statement. The victim is safe,” he said.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday said the state government has no tolerance for crimes against women and efforts are on to make Odisha free from such crimes by 2026.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from the syndicated feed.)