Govt gets 20-day deadline to submit report on rape of tribal woman

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday set a 20-day deadline for the State government to submit a status report on the alleged rape and murder of a 36-year-old tribal woman at Malkangiri town. The court heard the petition filed by Budura Gauda, husband of the deceased woman, through video conferencing. 

Counsel of the petitioner pointed out that there has been no progress in the investigation since the complaint was lodged and sought direction for a probe by the State Crime Branch or CBI. The single judge bench of Justice Biswajit Mohanty fixed December 21 for hearing on the matter while directing the State counsel to take instructions on the progress of investigation. The victim worked as a domestic help at the Malkangiri Police Canteen and was allegedly raped on May 7. Budura was informed by the canteen’s owner BBC Das that his wife was ill and needed to be shifted to a hospital. 

While she was admitted to the hospital, Budura lodged a police complaint on May 9. The victim who was unconscious ever since he took her to the hospital, succumbed at Rayagada in an ambulance while she was being shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur from the Koraput district headquarters hospital. In his petition, Budura alleged that the police had performed cremation of the body without seeking permission from him or his family members. He was given Rs 12,000 by the police for death rituals. 

The postmortem report indicated injuries in her private parts and primary cause of death was hypovolemic shock (a life-threatening condition that results when one loses more than 20 pc of body blood or fluid supply). The report had stated that the death may be homicidal in nature.