A 14-year-old tribal girl, who had alleged that “four men in uniform” had raped her three months ago in Odisha’s Koraput district, was found dead in her home on Monday, police told PTI. Her family said they found her hanging in an unconscious state when they returned home.
“She was declared “received dead” at the health centre by the doctors,” the sub-divisional police officer of Sunabeda town, Narahari Nayak, said.
The girl’s relatives claimed she had attempted suicide earlier and had committed the act out of frustration with the justice system.
In October 2017, the girl had alleged that the accused had raped her at Kunduli when she was on her way home in naxal-dominated Koraput district’s Musaguda village. The Human Rights Protection Cell of Odisha police had refuted her claims in its report to the Odisha Human Rights Commission.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had ordered a judicial investigation into the rape, expressed his grief over her death. “On hearing the tragic incidence of the suicide of the alleged Kunduli rape victim, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expresses deep grief and conveys his deep sympathy to the bereaved family,” a communication from the chief minister’s office said.
The Opposition Congress has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into her death. “The minor girl was under tremendous pressure and was doubtful about getting justice,” Congress leader Pradeep Majhi said.
In her complaint, the girl had accused senior police officers, including Odisha Director General of Police RP Sharma, of trying to “influence” her to withdraw the case. Sharma had denied the accusation.
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