Viral video of abused girls puts Odisha cops on toes

SAMBALPUR: Despite Odisha Police issuing a standard operating procedure to check circulation of videos showing women being harassed, a clip of two girls facing verbal and physical abuse after being stripped by a group of youths surfaced on Wednesday.

The video sent Sambalpur police into a tizzy after the matter was brought to its notice by BJP Mahila Morcha which met SP Sanjeev Arora. Police swung into action and Arora has directed the Town police to register a case suo motu. While the SP has formed a special team to probe the incident, efforts are underway to establish the identity of the victims and the tormentors.

The 2.14-minute clip shows a group of youths abusing the two girls after stripping them. The video also captured the victims being beaten with sticks and molested besides abused in filthy language and prevented from covering themselves up. A half-stripped youth is also seen in the video who seems to have accompanied the two girls.

SP Arora said Sambalpur police has taken the matter seriously and action would be initiated against all the youths involved in the incident including those who circulated the video. Though no formal complaint has been lodged by anyone, police have registered a case on its own and a special team has been formed to investigate into the incident, he said.

The video appears to be an old one which resurfaced again and though the language used is from western Odisha, the dialect is not distinctive of Sambalpur. The appearance of the victims hint that they are from a rural area and not economically well-off.

Recently, the State Police had cautioned people against capture and circulation of such videos and SPs were issued instructions to deal with such incidents.