Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan says Odisha govt destroying evidence of gang rape, suicide of minor

Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday alleged that the Odisha government was trying to destroy evidence in the gang rape and subsequent suicide of a Class 9 girl in Kunduli area of Koraput district. [caption id=“attachment_3875457” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Reuters[/caption] “The Odisha government has failed to give justice to the minor girl. It is trying to destroy the evidence in the gang rape and suicide incident,” Pradhan told the media in Bhubaneswar. Claiming that the state government was fully responsible for the suicide of the rape victim, he reiterated the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident. Pradhan said if the state government had no confidence in the CBI it could also go for a court-monitored inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The minor, who was allegedly gang raped by security personnel in October last year, committed suicide on 22 January. Pradhan said even 100 days after the gang rape incident and two weeks after the suicide of the victim, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had not yet reviewed the matter. “Why are you silent, chief minister, on the issue even after 100 days passed? We want a reply from you over the incident.” The minister alleged that the girl has left a suicide note stating that some top police officials were involved in suppressing the case. “The suicide note was destroyed to suppress facts. The suicide note must be brought under the purview of the inquiry,” he said. Pradhan alleged that the state police chief offered her Rs 90,000 to keep mum about the rape and she was put in a hospital for treatment of mental disorder while she was mentally sound. “The state government is fully responsible for the suicide. As the judicial probe ordered by this government in many earlier cases have not yielded any result, the Kunduli incident should be probed by the CBI immediately,” Pradhan said. On the other hand, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) spokesperson Pratap Deb said the BJP was politicising the issue.