BHUBANESWAR: The commission of inquiry probing into the alleged gangrape and suicide of a minor girl of Musaguda village of Koraput district said the case is still a mystery which needs further investigation.
The report, submitted in the Assembly a day after the Orissa High Court ordered the Crime Branch of the state police to submit the final report on the 2017 Kunduli gangrape case within four weeks, said, “The exact cause of false accusations and suicide is a mystery before the Commission and will remain a mystery unless unearthed by making further investigation.”
Unable to fathom why a minor girl would make false accusations and tell a false story of sexual assault which resulted in suicide, the probe panel said, “The victim girl could have been the best person to have said why she made such false accusations at the cost of her modesty and why she committed suicide.”
“Making of false implication cannot be ruled out because of personal transgression and avoidance of further embarrassment of a situation best known to the deceased,” it said. Taking exceptions to the role of political representatives and leaders of established political parties, the Commission said despite several cases of sexual assault on minor girls, political leaders have never shown such concern as they have shown in this incident.
Questioning the role of the victim’s family members, the probe panel said they were not satisfied with the investigation due to reasons best known to them. Instead of being cooperative, they levelled frivolous allegations.
While recommending that the identity of the victim should not be disclosed, the probe panel further instructed the State authority to maintain secrecy on the investigation till it is over. It has also suggested that statue of the victim should be removed from Kunduli Chhak in Koraput district.
‘Suicide cause a mystery’
The report was tabled on the last day of the budget session by Minister of State for Home Dibya Sankar Mishra. In its action taken the report, the State Government said it had accepted two recommendations of the Commission except for the one for removal of the statue of the victim. The victim, a Class IX student, had alleged that she was raped by a group of security personnel on October 10, 2017 while returning from school.
The incident triggered massive outrage in the State. Alleging torture and harassment by the police, the rape survivor committed suicide on January 22, 2018. The State Government had appointed the District Judge, Koraput as Commission of Inquiry on January 2018. The Commission had submitted its report to the Government on September 20, 2018.