An 18-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by two men in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Monday night, sparking outrage and political protests over the deteriorating safety of women in the state.
According to police, the incident took place around 8:30 PM when the survivor was returning home from a birthday celebration in a neighbouring village. She was accompanied by a female friend when the duo was reportedly attacked. The survivor’s father, in his police complaint, stated that the assailants forcibly took his daughter to a nearby farmland and raped her, while her friend managed to escape and raise an alarm.
The survivor returned home in a severely injured state, bleeding profusely. She was immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital, where her condition is said to be critical.
Jagatsinghpur Sadar Police Station’s officer-in-charge Pravas Sahoo visited the crime scene and recovered a mobile phone believed to belong to one of the accused. Police are currently interrogating the survivor’s friend and her mother to gather more information. A manhunt has been launched to trace the perpetrators.
Jagatsinghpur’s BJP MLA Amarendra Das confirmed that he has spoken to the SP and assured that the culprits will face the strictest punishment.
The brutal assault has intensified criticism of the state’s law and order situation. BJD leader Priyabrat Mohapatra declared, “We will gherao the SP office until all culprits are brought to justice.”
The incident adds to a troubling rise in crimes against women reported from Odisha in recent months.