court declared Paikmal accused as 'fugitive'

In the much hyped Paikmal ‘gang rape’ incident, a judicial court has declared the accused persons as ‘fugitive’ and decides to attach their movable and immovable property if case they are not surrendered before 5^th October 2009. The local police circulated the court notice to the family members of the accused and pasted it in front of their respective houses and made announcement in crowded places by beating drums (degura) on Saturday.

“disposing the application of the CB police on 5^th September, the SDJM court of Padmapur (Bargarh district) declared the accused persons of the Paikmal gang rape case as ‘fugitive’ u/s 80 Cr PC, following their non-appearance despite of having non-bailable warrant against them”, SDPO ( Padmapur) JP Mahapatra told. According to him the court notice describes that properties (both movable and immovable) belong to the accused persons will be attached incase they do not surrender before the court before 5^th Oct.

Sources said, a 24 years unmarried Dalit girl of Bhukhamunda under Paikmal police station of the Bargarh district was allegedly gang raped on Monday (11^th May) while she went to the Paikmal block office to meet the block chairman Mahesh Agrawal in connection to an employment of Anganwadi post. The chairman allegedly exploited her sexually and sent her with one Gananidhi Nag who took her to a godown of Sajan Agrawal where 3 persons including Gunanidhi, Sajan, and Pintu Pradhan raped her. Later she was taken to another place where two namely Kunal Singh Bariha and Kamalesh Sribastav raped her. Basing on the complaint of the victim girl Paikmal police registered a case against the accused persons including the block chairman Mahesh Agrawal, but failed to arrest any one as they managed to flee after the incident.

The incident triggered sharp criticism against the tribal minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha for allegedly putting official pressure on the local police to hush up the incident. He was also criticized for shielding the accused persons. While accused Kunal was his nephew, Chairman Mahesh Agrawal was a close aide of the minister. But taking the issue seriously, government handed over the case to the CB police for further investigation and Crime branch police arrested one of the accused Gunanidhi from Raipur soon it took over the investigation.

On the other hand the prime accused Mahesh Agrawal has been remained absconded after his completion of the high court interim bail. The court has passed NBW against him. “The court passed NBW against prime accused Mahesh Agrawal following his non-appearance in the court after completion of the high court interim bail. Court will take same procedure against him incase he fails to appear in the court in subsequent dates”, SDPO (Padmapur) told.

Meanwhile the Bargarh police have submitted a report to the NHRC in the rape case. The victim lady had appeared before NHRC a month ago in Bhubaneswar to seek justice in the gang rape incident, sources said.