BHUBANESWAR: In a fresh development in the alleged Kunduli gangrape and suicide incident, the Odisha Government on Wednesday declared that the probe will be handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under court monitoring.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who made the announcement, said because of the extraordinary circumstances of the case after the death of the victim, the state government will take immediate steps for handing over the investigation of the cases to a SIT with a prayer to be monitored by the court.
While it is yet to be announced who would lead the SIT, sources said, the state government may request the Orissa High Court to monitor the investigation.
The state government has been facing serious criticism from the Opposition over the manner the cases have been investigated.
Though a judicial probe and Crime Branch investigation was announced last year, both BJP and Congress have been seeking a CBI probe into the alleged gangrape of the 14-year-old girl.
The victim, a Class IX student in Koraput’s Musaguda village under Pottangi police limits, was allegedly gang-raped by four men in uniform on October 10.
However, the state police ruled out rape of the victim on November 7 leading to Opposition outrage. On November 8, the CM had ordered a judicial inquiry as well as a Crime Branch probe into the incident.
Even as the investigation was underway, the victim committed suicide on January 22, leading to a state-wide condemnation.
What compounded problems for the Naveen Patnaik Government was an alleged discrepancy in the forensic reports in the case. A preliminary test of the undergarments of the victim had found semen stains while a DNA test found them to be vaginal secretion of the girl. The state police have sent the exhibits to Central Forensic Science Laboratory at Kolkata for a confirmatory test.
However, with Bijepur by-polls drawing close and BJP and Congress capitalising on the issue, the state government appeared to have settled for a court-monitored SIT probe to placate the Opposition.
While announcing the SIT probe, Naveen termed the gangrape case as an extremely tragic incident. “It is my firm belief that law should take its own course and justice should be done without fear or favour,” he said adding the Government is committed to delivering justice in the matter at the earliest and most transparent manner. With the court-monitored probe, the investigation by Crime Branch would stand transferred to SIT.