Four arrested for sexually abusing homeless woman in Odisha

Dhenkanal: The sexual assault of a 22-year-old homeless woman in Bhapur police station in Dhenkanal district has shocked many people in the area.

Seven youths are said to have sexually abused the woman over the past few months. The youths raped the woman late at night in the abandoned Anganwadi centre where she lived with her father. The woman's suffering has worsened as she is seven months pregnant.

The woman's father suffers from severe psychological problems and was therefore unable to protect his daughter from this ordeal.

After human rights activist Jayanta Kumar Das brought the matter to the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Dhenkanal Sadar police took action.

Police have detained four people for questioning and launched an investigation. Police officer Deepak Kumar Lenka said other accused in the case would be nabbed soon. Police will send the woman's mentally unstable father to an old age home, he added.

In his petition, the human rights activist demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victims under the Odisha Victims Compensation Scheme 2018 along with rehabilitation for them.

He also urged the NHRC to take action against the negligent authorities, including the police and the District Legal Services Authority.

The woman was brought to Dhenkanal’s One Stop Centre (Sakhi Kendra) on September 6.