Woman Panchayat Representative sexually assaulted, manhandled and mercilessly beaten up by goons in Kendrapara district of Odisha

 

Civil Society Groups are up in arms against the Govt.  and hold protest meeting  in Bhubaneswar  demanding  Crime Branch enquiry  into police inaction  and  stern action against the culprits. CSOs have chalked out road map for massive campaign to force the Govt. to give justice to the victim.

 

 

Miss Banajini Parida,  Mahila Sarapanch , Ghagra Gram Panchayat of Kendrapara district   is a young and fresh graduate  elected Panchayat representative  in the district. She is very  dynamic and committed Sarapanch in the district. Since   joining as sarapanch,  she had been  implementing  all development  work in a most transparent manner  and trying hard to check corruption in Panchayat.  Her  commitment to strengthen  Panchayat  system  invited wrath  of the vested interest  who  conspired  to sabotage  her work. The direct threa  to her life came from   Sri Narayan Parida (Panchayat Samiti Member of that GP)  when  she was conducting Pally Sabha & Gram Sabha meeting  in the month of October 2012. Sri  Parida  threatened  her  to  resign from  the post of Sarapanch  in the meeting.  Banajini  reported it in the  local police station  and sought  for protection.  Without giving protection to her,  Nikirei Police filed false cases against her and her father.   On 25.12.12, when she was alone in home,    Sri Narayan Parida S/O Baishnab Parida along with miscreants   rushed to her room at 8 am and sexually assaulted her, scraped the dress and brutally attacked with iron rod.  The villagers rescued her. She was found suffering from serious injury and  was taken to the hospital.    When she was battling  for life,    a case was filed in Nikirei police station against her  at 11.54 am.  The  Inspector, In-Charge  Manasi Patra  filed  false  FIR against  Banajini parida, 15 Sarapanch , 9 samiti member , 2 Zilla Parishad , Chairman, Panchayat Samiti  and tried to arrest them.  The charges lodged against them are under section: 452, 354, 323, 325, 294, 506, 34 of IPC. However, in her pursuit to get justice, she approached S.D.P.O, Pattamundali and SP of Kendra district, but in vain.  They remained silence without taking any action against the culprits.

 

Then, finding no justice, Banajini along with all sarapanch approached  DG, Police demanding  action against the culprits.  The Sarapanch sangh  also  met  Home Secretary, Govt. of Odisha   and Governor  on 24.1.13 and appraised  him about the merciless attack on woman  Sarapanch.  But all their efforts ended in fiasco.

 

 Presently, Banajini  is sitting on hunger strike  in Bhubaneswar   demanding justice since last  five days. . On 26.1.13,    Civil society Groups and Human Rights Activists had organized  protest meeting   demanding  immediate  arrest of the  culprits.     The meeting  presided over by Sri Sudarshan Das, was addressed  by   Sri  Rabi Das, senior journalist,  Sri Rama Panda, CPI, Sri  Suresh Panigrahi, CPIM, Sri Mahendra Parida, CPI(Liberation), Mr. Pradip Pradhan, State Convener, Right to Food Campaign, Odisha, Sri Manoj Jena, Human Rights Front,  Sri Gopal Mohanty, Smt. Bijayalaxmi Mohapatra, Mamata Samantaray, State Progressive Women Forum, Sri Bhavani Pattnaik, former MP and Gandhian leader, Smt. Sarojini Parida, Sri lalit pattnaik, Odisha Nagarik samaj and galaxy of Sarapanch and Samiti Members of that region. In the meeting, it was resolved that  Mass Dharana will continue against the Govt. till the culprits are arrested. Banajini  was  requested  to withdraw the hunger strike . She agreed  and  withdrew the strike  by taking  juice from  Bhavani Pattnaik.  Other  decisions unanimously taken  are as follows

a.       False  cases lodged against sarapanch and Samiti Members  should be withdrawn

b.      All culprits should be arrested.

c.       The Inspector In-charge  should be suspended and SP  to be removed from the district.

d.      Mass Rally  will be organized  on 28.1.13   at lower PMG  demanding  justice for Banajini.

e.      The State Govt. should  undertake crime branch  enquiry  into the whole matter and take action against the culprits found guilty.

 

Report Prepared  by

Pradip Pradhan

M-99378-43482