Samikhsya Bureau
Odisha unit of BJP today threatened to resort to agitation if the bus driver, allegedly the prime accused in the Junagarha gang rape case, was not arrested soon. State BJP President Basanta Panda and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Pradipta Kumar Nayak today said the BJP would resort to agitation and gherao the Junagarha Police station and office of the Kalahandi district Superintendent of Police if the prime accused was not arrested immediately.
Earlier on the day, Party General Secretary Lekhashree Samantasinghar in a press conference alleged that though the victim had named the bus driver Lalitendu Sabar as the prime accused in the media and demanded his arrest , the Police deliberately let him go under the pressure of the ruling BJD. The victim an ANM student was gang raped in Jaringi forest under Junagarha Police station on September 14 last while she was on her way to Junagarh, her native place from Bhawanipatna after taking a lift on the motor cycle of the driver.
The SP of kalahandi had earlier clarified that the driver was not involved in gang rape. Ms Samantasinghar alleged that Police have let the Prime accused free as he was the driver of a bus owned by Kalahandi District BJD Working President Prabhod Rath, an influential BJD leader in Kalahandi. She said a conspiracy was hatched to divert the attention of media and to give protection to the ruling party .
Ms Samantasinghar said the ruling party leaders, ministers and Women Commission never issue any statement or condemn on rape incidents in the state. But in Junagarh gang rape incident, Minister of state for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra said he had spoken to the SP and DIG and the culprits will be arrested soon.
The Women Commissioner met the victim a day after the Minister made the statement. The motive of the Women Commission’s visit to Junagarh which generally remains mum on several such incidents in the past is now clear. Police have already arrested nine people including a minor in connection with the gang rape . While four people were arrested for their involvement in the gang rape, three were arrested for making the gang rape video viral in the social media and two for assisting the accused for committing the crime.
