Nayagarh: Even 14 days after the alleged molestation of a Class VII girl at Bodapada under this block in Nayagarh district, the police failed to arrest the accused.
Strange but true, the police allegedly demanded Rs 1,000 from the victim’s mother to buy fuel in order to arrest the accused. Her mother accused the police of inaction and incompetency in arresting Srikant Parida alias Phinu (24) of Bodapada village.
According to the complaint, Phinu allegedly intercepted the 13-year-old girl while she was returning home from her tuition on a bicycle May 15 evening. He then gagged her and took her to a bush where he allegedly molested her. He then threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone before fleeing.
The girl returned home and narrated the ordeal to her mother. When confronted by the victim’s mother, Phinu’s family members attacked her and threatened to kill her if she opened her mouth.
Later, the family members lodged a written complaint with Sadar police while the accused absconded following the complaint. After three days, police got a tip-off that Phinu was in Tulasipur village under Banki police limits in Cuttack district. Instead of going to arrest the accused, the police reportedly demanded Rs 1,000 to fill fuel in their van to go to arrest the accused.
This spread outrage among the girl’s relatives who warned of a mass demonstration if the accused was not arrested soon.