Bhubaneswar: A miffed National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has summoned the Kendrapara Collector and Superintendent of Police for their personal appearance before it along with the probe report in connection with the gang-rape of a middle-aged woman in Nikirai police limits in the district June 28, 2019.
The commission expressed its displeasure while hearing a petition (7489/IN/2019) filed by rights activist Himanshu Sekhar Nayak June 30, 2019.
The rights body has directed the said authorities to appear before it December 29 under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act. However, the authorities will be exempted from appearing in person if they manage to submit the action taken report (ATR) on the issue by December 22.
The NHRC said, “Despite directions/reminders, the requisite reports have not been submitted by the concerned authorities. The Commission has taken serious note of the callous attitude of the concerned authorities towards the directions of the Commission. In view of the above, the Commission directs its Registry to issue summons to the concerned authorities, u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to appear before the Commission on 29.12.2020 along with requisite reports.”
The authorities did not pay any heed to the repeated reminders from the commission asking for the submission of ATR on brutal gang-rape of the lady.
Notably, Nayak in his complaint claimed that the gruesome episode took place around 1.30am June 28, 2019 when the victim, along with her family, was asleep. The desperadoes knocked the door on the pretext of asking for water, but the victim’s husband denied sensing foul play. The trio broke open the door and assaulted the victim’s husband with iron rods. Later, upon entering the bedroom they found the victim asleep and took turns to outrage her modesty. As if this wasn’t enough, they inflicted severe injuries to her private parts before assaulting two of her minor sons who were asleep nearby,” the petitioner informed the Commission referring to a police complaint lodged by the victim’s husband.
Nayak said the desperadoes later decamped with cash and gold ornaments from the victim’s place. The victim’s husband raised an alarm following which fellow villagers reached his place and rushed the couple to the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
Later, after primary medication, the victim’s husband approached Nikirai police which registered a case under Sections 457 (house-trespass), 397 (robbery) and 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and began a probe.