BALANGIR: In a shocking act of dehumanisation, a youth allegedly smeared human faeces on an orphaned tribal girl over a minor dispute at Jurabandh village in Bangomunda block on November 16.
The accused, Abhay Bag lost his cool when the girl opposed him for running his tractor on the farm field where the victim had grown crops.
Police said, the girl had cultivated a piece of land in the village and Bag ran his tractor over it. As a portion of the crop suffered damage, the girl confronted Bag. The argument soon turned violent as Bag pushed the girl and she fell. The girl’s aunt ran to her rescue but was allegedly manhandled by Bag.
The matter did not end there as Bag smeared the girl’s face with human faeces some of which also entered her mouth. The girl lodged a complaint with police the same day and a FIR was registered. Four days since the incident, no action has been taken against Bag.
Meanwhile, tribals of the village slammed the police for their inaction. They wondered if the administration and cops would sit on a complaint had the incident happened with a woman of upper caste.
The girl has a sister and ekes out a living by doing daily wage jobs, said members of Adivasi Kalyan Sangha and Kandha Samaj which came out in her support on Wednesday. A member of the tribal body said police have been asked to act on the matter failing which an agitation will be staged.
Kantabanji SDPO Gourang Charan Sahu said a case has been registered at Bangomunda police station. “The accused is absconding and will be nabbed soon,” he said.
The victim said Bag’s act is an insult to her and her community. “I want justice and punishment for him,” she said.
BJD slams govt
Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Wednesday came down on the state government for its silence on the incident. Describing the BJP as anti-tribal, BJD’s Rajya Sabha member Niranjan Bishi told mediapersons since the saffron party came to power in Odisha, tribals are being neglected.
The inaction of the police or any government agency even after five days of this incident proves this, he added. Bishi said the victim and her female relative had lodged a complaint at the Bangomunda police station after the incident. However, police is yet to arrest the youth.