KORAPUT/JEYPORE: Traumatised in her young life, the alleged victim of Kunduli gangrape was not spared even after death as her final rites had to wait for more than 24 hours because Congress protested with the body on NH 26 since Tuesday morning.
Displaying political insensitivity of the worst kind, Congress leaders took the victim’s body from Kunduli PHC and placed it on the NH where they staged road bloackade well into the afternoon demanding justice for the 15-year-old girl.
The Koraput district administration managed to persuade agitators and family members for post-mortem and last rites only during the evening hours after which the stalemate ended.
As the district seethed in anger over suicide of the victim, Congress activists led by former Nabaranpur MP Pradeep Majhi and former Pottangi MLA Ramachandra Kadam carried the body of the girl from Kunduli hospital with locals blocking the NH by burning tyres and placing stones.
The protestors demanded action against police and medical officials who had ruled out rape of the girl and sought a CBI probe even as Koraput administration failed to pacify the angry agitators till evening. The agitation intensified when PCC president Prasad Harichandan, party’s Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Koraput legislator Krushna Chandra Sagaria reached the spot.
With the protests not ending, the body remained on the NH all through the day. Later, senior police officials, led by ADG Satyajit Mohanty, reached the spot and pacified the agitators by appealing to them to allow the body for last rites following legal formalities.
However, villagers denied to allow the body to be taken to Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital at Koraput for post-mortem. Instead, they insisted that post-mortem should be conducted in Musaguda village which was accepted by the officials. Later, the body was taken to the ancestral village where autopsy was conducted. Koraput Collector KS Chakravarthi and SP K Singh were present in the village.
Later, the road blockade was lifted and normal traffic resumed on the NH connecting Visakhapatnam. Hundreds of vehicles were found stranded in Koraput, Semiliguda, Pottangi, Sunki and Jeypore on the day due to the blockade. As Congress called for Odisha bandh on Wednesday, DCC president Minakhi Bahinipati appealed to locals of Koraput to cooperate with the party.
On Monday afternoon, the gangrape victim had committed suicide. Her body was kept at Kunduli hospital as locals and Congress leaders did not allow autopsy. While Congress was blocking the NH, BJP activists gheraoed Pottangi police station where they burnt effigy of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.