Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (IANS) Political leaders from across party lines in Odisha on Sunday urged the West Bengal government to take the strongest possible action against those involved in the gangrape of a medical student from Jaleswar in Odisha’s Balasore district, which occurred in Durgapur on Friday.

Speaking to media persons, senior BJD leader and Jaleswar MLA Aswini Kumar Patra said, “The West Bengal government needs to conduct a thorough investigation into the case and ensure that the culprits involved in the gangrape are given strict punishment. This is a very sensitive incident, and it is necessary that the culprits receive the harshest punishment; otherwise, such incidents will lead to a rapid moral decline in society.”

Meanwhile, the president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), Bhakta Charan Das, condemned the gruesome gangrape of the Odia girl in Durgapur. “I express deep grief and condemn the incident of the gangrape of the girl student from Odisha. We demand the immediate arrest of all the accused persons and strict punishment for them. I will direct the Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress to take necessary steps in this regard,” said Das on Sunday.

Senior BJP leader and Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sadangi, on the other hand, alleged that neighbouring West Bengal has become a haven for anti-social elements and terrorists. “The West Bengal government has always been soft on such elements. How many more innocent girls and medical students, who are the assets of the nation, will be sacrificed? The Balasore administration is alert to the issue, and I have complete faith in the Odisha Chief Minister, who will ensure the victim receives justice by exerting pressure on the West Bengal government,” said Sadangi.

As per reports, four accused persons have so far been arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with the gang-rape of the second-year medical student of a private medical college and hospital in West Burdwan district’s Durgapur.

According to police, the student had stepped out of the campus with a male friend for dinner on Friday night when a group of young men on motorcycles began stalking them and making lewd comments. The men allegedly chased away the friend, dragged the student to a forested area behind the campus, and gang-raped her.

They also snatched her mobile phone and threw it away. The male friend returned with others from the college and found the injured student on the ground. She was admitted to a local hospital. Police confirmed she is a resident of Jaleswar, Odisha.

–IANS

gyan/uk