Bhubaneswar: A high-level Congress fact-finding team, led by former AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi, visited Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district on Saturday to probe the alleged gang-rape of a 20-year-old college student by ten persons.
The all-women delegation includes MPs Ranjeet Ranjan, Praniti Shinde, S. Jothimani, and former AICC spokesperson Shobha Oza. The team has been assigned to conduct an on-ground inquiry, meet the survivor and her family, interact with police officials, and prepare a report for the Congress high command.
According to police, ten persons — including four minors — have been arrested in connection with the crime that took place on the night of June 15. The survivor, a student of a private college, had visited the beach with her classmate boyfriend during the Raja festival when the incident occurred.
“The party is deeply concerned about the recent rise in crimes against women in Odisha. We have sent this team to understand the situation first-hand. I have also written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, seeking time for the team to meet him,” said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das while speaking to reporters.
At Gopalpur, the Congress team interacted with local residents and inquired whether regular police patrolling is conducted at the beach. They later met Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M and reviewed both the Gopalpur case and the June 5 rape of two minor girls in Golanthara. The SP informed the team that all accused in both cases have been arrested.
“We visited the spot where the girl was assaulted and found there are no safety measures in place for women, despite Gopalpur being a popular tourist destination. We also plan to meet President Droupadi Murmu over the matter,” said Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan, adding that the three MPs will raise the matter in Parliament.
Ranjan further claimed that at least three gang-rape cases have been reported in Odisha in just one week.
“When our MLAs demanded a House committee to discuss these crimes, the government suspended them instead,” she alleged.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress president Meenakshi Bahinipati and party MLA Sofia Firdous addressed a press conference in Delhi, criticising the state government’s failure in ensuring women’s safety.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, in a social media post, condemned the Gopalpur incident and accused the BJP-led government in Odisha of “gross negligence.”
Responding to the criticism, BJP’s Ganjam district president Saroj Sabat said the state government is treating the matter seriously and that an officer of Inspector General rank is personally monitoring the investigation.
BJD senior leader and former MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu said his party was the first to protest the Gopalpur incident. BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also condemned the crime and expressed deep concern over the lack of safety at such a key tourist destination.
