CUTTACK: A rape accused has allegedly gone missing after being paraded with a garland of shoes by a kangaroo court at Betenda village under Balianta police limits in Khurda district. Claiming her husband innocent, Sarita, the wife of rape accused Prasant Kamela (30) of Kakarudrapur village, filed a missing complaint with Balianta police on Thursday. Sarita said Kamela went missing after the humiliating incident. She has named five persons of Betenda village and others in her FIR.
Sources said Kamela raped a 12-year-old dalit girl of Betenda, who is a Class VII student of Dadhichi Public School at Sundargram under Kantapada block under Olatpur police limits. On October 21, the principal sent the victim home in the school van after she developed gastroenteritis illness. Kamela, the driver of the school van, raped the girl inside the vehicle at an isolated place. After committing the crime, the accused instead of taking the victim to her house, brought her back to the school. On reaching the school, the victim narrated the incident to her teachers.
However, instead of taking action against Kamela, the school authorities tried to hush up the case following which the victim disclosed the matter to her family.
A kangaroo court was held in the village on October 30 where Kamela was asked to pay a fine of `5 lakh. When Kamela expressed his inability to pay the fine, the Kangaroo court paraded him in the village by garlanding him with shoes.
As video clip of the ‘parade’ went viral in some electronics media, tension gripped residents of the two villages following which the victim’s father lodged an FIR with Balianta police against Kamela. After medical examination, the victim’s statement has been recorded and investigation is on, said IIC, Olatpur police station Anadi Charan Sethi. Contacted, IIC, Balianta police station Pramod Patnaik said the persons accused of taking law in their own hands and humiliating Kamela are absconding.