New Delhi: At a time when the country was rejoicing Devi Durga's 'Shakti', thousands of miles away from home, a woman from Odisha was found struggling with injuries in a sub-conscious state near the Sarai Kale Khan flyover here. Suspected to have been raped, the 34-year-old woman was noticed by some passersby early morning on October 11.
Though she was immediately rushed to the trauma care centre at AIIMS by the police, they suspected her to have been sexually assaulted at a different location before being dumped in the Sarai Kale Khan area.
Odisha Chief Minister has dispatched IG with the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW&CW) S Shyni to Delhi to monitor the situation and meet the survivor.
According to DCP South East Ravi Kumar Singh, a PCR call was received on October 11 at around 3.15 am, reporting an injured woman at the site. Suspecting rape, they registered a case. Believed to be mentally disturbed and in financial distress, police stated, she left her hometown a year ago and had been living in Delhi since then.
According to police, the victim had been living with another woman in Delhi’s Katwaria Sarai until August, when a dispute led to her shifting out. She then reportedly spent several days on the streets. A graduate, the woman had been spotted in southeast Delhi’s Jamroodpur some days back. She also spent a night inside an ATM booth in Kishangarh, officials said. Police further stated that the survivor's parents have been informed, and she is currently under observation.
Meanwhile, multiple police teams have been formed to investigate the incident. While several leads have emerged, the police have not released further official details. The woman, currently receiving treatment at AIIMS, is not in a condition to give a statement, and police action will follow once she is able to provide one. Authorities are analyzing CCTV footage and other technical surveillance to identify the suspects involved, police stated.
Counseling is on to help gather more information about the incident. Odisha DGP Y.B. Khurania is in touch with Delhi Police Commissioner and is personally overseeing the developments. The Odisha Police is assisting the survivor’s family to reach Delhi and coordinating with the Delhi Police on the investigation. Additionally, two cases have been filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking its intervention in the matter. Advocate Radhakant Tripathi has called for an independent investigation and proper medical care for the victim.
Meanwhile in Odisha, the opposition BJD has strongly criticised the state’s BJP government for its silence on the issue. Taking to social media X, BJD MP Manas Mangaraj said, "Call it negligence or apathy, the Odisha Government has turned a blind eye to the plight of distressed woman and seems to be busy in holidays. The CM is visiting Puja Pandals, but has no time to make a statement on #OdiaAsmita being brutally assaulted in Delhi. Ironically, the Resident Commissioner’s office in Delhi has also maintained a stoic silence on this matter. This is very unfortunate. Hope good sense prevails and the woman is taken care of."
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