Assault on mentally ill girl: 3 more held

BALASORE: The district police on Tuesday arrested three more persons for assaulting a mentally challenged girl on charges of stealing firewood.

The accused are Bharat Sahu, his wife Bharati and Malati Sahu. On Monday, police had arrested Bipin Sahu after the video of the entire incident went viral on social media. All the four were produced in court and remanded to judicial custody.

The mentally challenged girl of Sajanpur village within Soro police limits was tied, dragged and brutally beaten up by a group of villagers for stealing firewood from her neighbour’s land.

Collector Pramod Kumar Das, who had ordered a probe into the incident, said police have initiated legal action on the basis of the video clip and others who are involved in the incident would be arrested soon.  
Meanwhile, the district administration has initiated measures for rehabilitation of the girl and her family. Terming it as a barbaric incident, the Collector said the 20-year-old girl, who is a dwarf, has been provided `10,000 from the district Red Cross fund.

“She will be rehabilitated in self-employment programme and financed from the Chief Minster’s relief fund if she wishes. The administration will provide all support to her family. The district social welfare officer has been directed to include her in family benefit scheme,” Das added.