Overview
- A 16-year-old in Puri alleged she was raped by two distant relatives during a Kali Puja idol immersion night, and police say both men are in custody.
- The Puri complaint was filed on October 24, the victim underwent a medical examination, and police say cases under the POCSO Act and relevant BNS sections are being pursued.
- Police identified the accused in Puri as a distant brother and an uncle from the same village and said a past dispute emerged in preliminary findings.
- In a separate Mayurbhanj case, two tribal girls aged 13 and 14 alleged gang rape by five men, with three suspects detained and a search on for two others under POCSO and BNS provisions.
- The opposition BJD condemned the incidents, demanded Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s resignation, and cited a claim of over 5,000 rapes of women in the past 16 months to criticize the government’s law-and-order record.