Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday constituted a fact-finding team to ascertain facts behind the alleged assault and sexual harassment of a young tourist couple near Kapilash hills in Dhenkanal district.
Party president Naveen Patnaik formed a 10-member team, including two women MLAs – Manorama Mohanty and Sujata Sahu, who will visit Kapilash to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident, according to a statement issued by the party.
The team will also meet the Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police and submit a memorandum. The BJD has blamed the state’s BJP government for the rise in crimes against women and expressed concern over the safety and security of visitors at Kapilash and other important tourist and religious destinations across the state.
The opposition party emphasised the need for effective policing, adequate security arrangements and prompt response mechanisms to ensure that visitors, particularly women and young people, can travel without fear.
The party’s women’s wing president Snehangini Chhuria came down heavily on the BJP government. “The manner in which a young woman and a man were subjected to abuse at Kapilash – coming just a day after an incident of sexual assault on a woman in Bihar had sparked a nationwide outcry – has raised questions regarding the state’s law and order situation,” Chhuria told reporters.
Police on Tuesday arrested three middle-aged men after the alleged victim lodged a complaint and a video of the harassment went viral on social media. The incident took place on September 18 on an isolated stretch of a road leading to the famous Shiva temple atop the lush green Kapilash hills.
The viral video purportedly showed some people intercepting the bike-borne couple and assaulting the man, with the woman screaming for help. Police have registered a case and arrested three accused in connection with the case.
