Odisha: Three tribal girls gang-raped in Kalahandi

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Three teenage tribal girls were allegedly gang-raped in Odisha's Kalahandi district when they were returning home after watching jatra, police said on Thursday.

The incident happened on the night of April 16, but a complaint was filed at the Bijepur police station on Wednesday evening after tribal leaders decided to report the matter to the police as the accused are from a different community.

The girls, in the age group of 14 to 17, were returning home after watching a jatra or folk theatre when five men, belonging to a different community, stopped them and allegedly took turns in raping them, police said.

A search is on to nab the accused, Bijepur police station's inspector-in-charge Lingaraj Sethy said.

Charges under relevant sections of the IPC, POCSO Act, and the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be invoked in this case, he said. The area has a significant Maoist presence, and the terrain is hilly and has forests, he added.

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Police said they suspect that the accused might be hiding in the dense forest. The families of the three girls first reached out to their leaders, who called a meeting where it was decided that the matter would be reported to the police as the accused belonged to a different community, leading to the delay in filing the complaint, local sources said.

The girls had to travel to three different hospitals on Thursday for their medical check-ups as female doctors were not available. The medical examination was done at the Bhawanipatna government hospital at last.

Kalahandi Adivasi Sangha president Prakash Majhi threatened protests if the accused are not arrested within 24 hours. A team of the Sangha will visit the village of the girls, and take stock of the situation, he said.

"A meeting will be held to decide the future course of action," he added.

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