Bhubaneswar, July 22 (IANS) Amid the ongoing debate over the rising cases of atrocities against women, two rape incidents reported in Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur districts have once again rocked Odisha.

In a shameful incident, the Jagatsinghpur police on Tuesday arrested one person on charges of raping an 18-year-old girl in Jagatsinghpur Town police station area. Police have launched a manhunt to nab another accused who is still at large.

“My daughter had gone to a friend’s house to participate in a birthday party. Another girl who was present there insisted that my daughter visit her residence nearby. After initial reluctance, my daughter agreed to go to the residence of the girl. Later, my daughter insisted on going on the main road, but the said girl took her on a different path through paddy fields. Meanwhile, two unknown persons following her grabbed her from behind and muffled her with their hands. They later sexually abused her,” said the victim’s father.

He further revealed that the victim became unconscious when she reached home following the incident, which took place late Monday evening.

The victim was later rushed to the Jagatsinghpur District Headquarters Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.

The Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police, Bhawani Sankar Udgata, told reporters that the victim’s father has alleged that two unknown persons have sexually abused her daughter. Police initiated a probe into the matter by constituting three teams.

The SP confirmed that the absconding accused has been identified and will be apprehended soon.

In another shameful incident, the Jajpur police on Tuesday arrested three hockey coaches, including two former trainers, on allegations of raping a 15-year-old girl hockey player of the district.

As per police, the victim lodged a complaint in this regard at the Jajpur police station on July 20. The police, during investigations, came to know that the accused Sandip Swain is currently working as a coach at the Hockey Training Centre at Jajpur, while Sagar Nayak and Sarthak Mohanty were the former coaches at the same centre.

According to police, the accused — Sandip, who is presently the minor’s hockey coach — sexually assaulted her during a sports tour to Rourkela around two months prior.

Despite the victim having submitted a formal complaint to the District Sports Officer of Jajapur, no action was reportedly taken.

On July 3, other accused — Sagar and Sarthak — called the girl to a spot on the pretext of offering her a gift. Later, they forcefully took the victim to a lodge and sexually misbehaved with her there. However, the lodge staff arrived at the spot after hearing the girl’s cry for help and rescued her from the accused persons.

–IANS

gyan/skp