Delhi Woman Interning Ngo Odisha Tribal Areas 20 Arrests

A young woman interning with a leading NGO in Odisha was molested and assaulted by dozens of villagers in Rayagada, while her male colleague was beaten up, in what police say is a case of “child kidnapping” rumours spiralling out of control.

Though the incident occurred on the evening of June 16, it came to light after the police arrested at least 20 people, including several juveniles, on Saturday.

The victims – both are aged 22; the woman is from Delhi and the man from Surat – have worked with the NGO as part of a prestigious fellowship in tribal regions since September last year.

Talking to The Indian Express, Rayagada Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad said the incident occurred when the two were travelling in the district on a scooter and had to cover nearly 250 kilometres.

“As the two travelled through the region, there was a rumour about the presence of child kidnappers in the locality. Suspecting them, some locals chased them on motorcycles. When their vehicle slipped and overturned near a field at around 8:30 pm, the mob assaulted the two professionals, stripped the woman, and molested her,” said the SP.

The woman told local media that they were using Google Maps for navigation because they were unfamiliar with the region. “While we were travelling, someone claiming to be local told us not to go ahead because the road was in poor condition. As we were trying to turn back, he tried to pull the keys from our scooter and asked to show our identity cards. I presented my ID, but he refused to believe us. We were scared as a crowd gathered suddenly,” she said.

She said that her colleague started the scooter and left, but locals on motorcycles chased them. She said their scooter slipped near a field, after which the mob caught up with them, assaulted both, and stripped and molested her.

“They assaulted me, pulled my hair, tore my clothes and inappropriately touched me. I am scared and want to go back to my place. We were here to do social work,” she said.

Even as the police reached the spot on getting information and tried to rescue the two, along with the help of some locals, the mob turned violent and continued assaulting them.

Balaram Bagh, 26, who works as a driver in the locality, helped the police rescue the two. He first took them to the police station, and later to the nearest community health centre.

“As I was on my way to a dhaba for dinner with my friend, I noticed a mob assaulting them. I tried my best to pull them away from the crowd and to escort them to the police vehicle. I took off my T-shirt and gave it to the woman as the mob had torn her dress,” Balaram told The Indian Express.

Balaram said the mob was so violent that they even chased the police vehicle up to the community health centre and tried to vandalise the premises.

The Rayagada SP said three cases have been registered and 20 people have been arrested. More arrests are likely.

Police sources said the victims were traumatised and were provided medical treatment before being handed over to their families.

Gram Vikas executive director Liby Johnson, when contacted, said the two are not ready to talk.

Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More