20-yr-old gang-raped by 10 men at popular beach in Ganjam dist

Berhampur/Bhubaneswar: Ten men allegedly gang-raped a Plus III student after holding her boyfriend hostage on a popular beach in Ganjam district on Sunday evening. Seven of the 10 were detained on Monday and efforts are on to nab the rest.
Police sources said the 20-year-old survivor had gone to the beach with her boyfriend, who studies with her. They were sitting in a secluded area of the beach when the men surrounded them around 9.30 pm.
"The allegedly drunk perpetrators made vulgar remarks at the girl. When her boyfriend objected to their behaviour, they assaulted him and dragged him away while others raped her. They held the boyfriend hostage at a distance," a police officer said.
Police sources said the men gagged her, preventing her from raising her voice. The perpetrators fled after raping her.
The girl reached the police station around 11 pm. Initially, she was hesitant to file a complaint. But was later persuaded by her boyfriend to lodge a complaint, police said.
"We have detained seven out of 10 suspects, all in their 20s. All of them belong to Ganjam district. Raids are being conducted to nab the remaining three accused.
Most of them are unemployed. Their criminal antecedents, if any, are being verified," Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M told TOI. The SP and his personnel also inspected the site of the crime.
Police sources said the survivor lives in a rented apartment with three other women. The survivor underwent medical examination and appears to be stable. She is being provided with psychological support, police said.
The incident comes days after the alleged gang-rape of a Class IX student in beachside hotel in Puri.
Three men were subsequently arrested.
"The affected stretch of beach in Ganjam reportedly lacks proper illumination. District authorities should address this issue and enhance security patrolling to protect visitors," said Srinibash Subudhi, working president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha.
According to Debasis Kumar, vice-president of Hotel Association of Puri, "Safety of visitors at tourist places should be accorded top priority. Police should review security measures at prominent tourist hangouts at regular intervals."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Mint

6 hours ago

• Mint

‘Go back, stitch slippers': FIR lodged against 3 IndiGo officials for alleged caste based harassment of trainee pilot

A trainee pilot at Indigo Airlines has alleged that three officials engaged in caste-based discrimination and humiliation during a meeting on April 28 in Gurgaon, according to a report by the Times of India (TOI). An FIR has been registered against these officials. The case has been filed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The 35-year-old trainee pilot from Bengaluru has alleged that his senior colleagues, Tapas Dey, Manish Sahani, and Captain Rahul Patil, made casteist remarks against him including statements such as 'you are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers' and 'you don't even have the worth to be a watchman here," the report said. The 'harassment' began after the complainant was asked by Dey to leave his phone and bag outside in a 'demeaning manner,' it added. The trainee pilot claimed that the harassment continued for days and was intended to pressurise him to resign. "The statements they made were not only humiliating but clearly aimed at degrading my identity and status as a Scheduled Caste person," the report quoted the complaint. He alleged that harassment was more than verbal abuse, including unjustified salary deductions, forced retraining sessions, revocation of travel privileges, and unwarranted warning letters. The complainant raised the issue to the higher authorities and the ethics committee of the airlines; however, no action was taken against the accused officials, forcing him to approach legal recourse, the report noted. The FIR, which was first filed in Bengaluru and transferred to t DLF-1 police station in Gurgaon was lodged under sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST Act, that address intentional insults or intimidation intended to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe in public sphere. The FIR has also been filed under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 3(5) (common intention) of BNS. "We have begun collecting evidence and will soon record the statements of all parties involved," assistant sub-inspector Dalwinder Singh told TOI. Denying the allegations by the trainee pilot, an IndiGo spokesperson told ANI, 'IndiGo upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination, harassment, or bias and remains firmly committed to being an inclusive and respectful workplace. IndiGo strongly refutes these baseless claims and stands by its values of fairness, integrity, and accountability and will extend its support to the law enforcement agencies as required.'

Time of India

7 hours ago

• Time of India

Rajasthan shocker: Man lies on tracks to shoot Instagram video as train passes over him; held

JAISALMER: A 21-year-old man was arrested for recording a dangerous stunt on railway tracks and uploading it on social media site Instagam in Balotra's Jasol police station area Saturday. The man identified as Kamlesh of Tilwara in Jasol risked his life by lying on the railway tracks as a train passed over him and recorded it on his mobile. He shared the 18-second video on his Instagram account. Police, on getting information about it, immediately arrested Kamlesh. He will be handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Balotra SP Amit Jain told TOI that Saturday, Kamlesh risked his life to make a video on the railway tracks as the train passed over him. It is clearly visible that Kamlesh is making the video with his mobile and then lies on the tracks before the train arrives. A few moments later, as the train passes, he stands up and laughs. As soon as the video was seen by the police, Balotra ASI Rakesh Kumar and his team went to Kamlesh's house and arrested him at night. Since the incident occurred in the railway police area, further action will be taken by RPF Balotra.

Time of India

7 hours ago

• Time of India

'Not even worth a watchman': IndiGo trainee pilot alleges casteist abuse by seniors, says subjected to ‘unjustified' pay cuts, more

An FIR was registered against three officials of IndiGo Airlines under the the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and BNS, after a trainee pilot accused them of subjecting him to caste-based harassment and humiliation at the company's corporate office in the city, according to a TOI report. The case — under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and BNS — was initially filed as a zero FIR in Bengaluru, but was transferred to DLF-1 police station in Gurgaon. IndiGo Airlines did not respond to requests for comment on the FIR. What are the complaints? A 35-year-old trainee pilot from Bengaluru has accused his seniors, Tapas Dey, Manish Sahani, and Captain Rahul Patil, of verbal abuse and caste-based discrimination during a meeting on April 28 at Emaar Capital Tower 2, the airline's headquarters. According to the complainant, the harassment began as soon as he arrived at the office, with Dey allegedly ordering him to leave his phone and bag outside in a "demeaning manner," according to the TOI report. "His instruction set the tone for the abuse that followed," the trainee pilot said in his complaint. The trainee pilot claimed that the three officials made casteist remarks during the 30-minute meeting from 3.30pm, which included statements like "you are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers" and "you don't even have the worth to be a watchman here". He alleged that the harassment continued for days and was designed to pressure him into resigning. "The statements they made were not only humiliating but clearly aimed at degrading my identity and status as a Scheduled Caste person," reported TOI citing the official complaint. Live Events The harassment included "professional victimisation" through unjustified salary deductions, forced retraining sessions, revocation of travel privileges, and unwarranted warning letters. Despite escalating the matter to higher officials and the company's ethics committee, the complainant claimed no action was taken, compelling him to approach the SC/ST cell for legal intervention. (with TOI inputs)