In a significant judicial decision, a court in Odisha’s Kendrapara district sentenced an 18-year-old girl to 20 years of imprisonment for orchestrating the gang rape of her 17-year-old classmate. Along with the prison sentence, an 18,000 INR fine was imposed on the convict. Special Public Prosecutor Manoj Kumar Sahu stated that failing to pay the fine would result in an additional year of imprisonment for the offender. This grim incident took place in 2023 when the victim was a Grade 12 student.
The verdict was delivered by Additional District Judge Pragyan Paramita Raul’s court in Kendrapara on Friday. The counsel noted that the court also directed the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) to grant compensation of 7.50 lakh INR to the victim. On October 17, 2023, the accused drugged her classmate by spiking a soft drink. Subsequently, two accomplices transported the victim to Cuttack in a car.
In Cuttack, the victim was taken to a hotel, where she was assaulted successively. Following the incident, police apprehended three individuals, including the guilty woman, in connection with the crime. Following her arrest, the convict appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Kendrapara. At that time, she was a minor. The JJB remarked that despite her age, the girl had complete awareness of the severe circumstances leading to the gang rape.
Notably, last month, another heinous crime surfaced in Nabarangpur, Odisha, where an 11-year-old girl was gang-raped by two minor boys. The perpetrators forced the victim to consume alcohol before subjecting her to their brutality. This incident occurred on the festive day of Holi, but it was disclosed by the survivor later. Based on the family’s report, the accused were sent to a juvenile detention home.
Superintendent of Police Mihir Kumar Panda revealed that this incident occurred on March 15, when the girl was playing Holi near her home in the Umrakote police station area. Two local boys coerced her to consume alcohol before committing the assault. Upon revelation of the incident the following day, the girl’s parents filed a complaint at the Umrakote police station. The accused boys were merely aged 15 and 17.
