4 juveniles among 10 held for gangrape at Odisha beach, police to seek their trial as adults

At around 8 pm, the accused persons allegedly confronted the couple, after which three of them raped the woman while the others assaulted the man and kept him tied up, police said.

Though the four juveniles were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and the other six accused were produced before a court, Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M said authorities would ask the JJB to treat the juveniles as adults for the purpose of the trial.

“This is a heinous crime, and as per the Supreme Court, juveniles above 16 years of age can be tried as adults in the case of a heinous offence. In this case, all four juvenile accused are 17 years old. So, we will pray before the JJB to treat them as adults. We are confident that the juvenile board will consider our plea,” the SP told The Indian Express.

Police have said a 23-year-old, who is from a nearby town and works at a factory in Bengaluru, from where he had come back home on leave, was the main accused.

According to the police investigation, the accused persons had also demanded money from the woman’s male friend who they had allegedly held captive. Police have got evidence that the accused took money from him in cash and through a UPI transaction, the Berhampur SP said.

According to police sources, the survivor and her friend managed to go back to their respective places of residence after the assault. The woman lodged a police complaint the next day.

Following the complaint by the survivor on Monday, a case was registered at Gopalpur police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 70(1) (gangrape), 296 (obscene acts and songs), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 310(2) (offence of dacoity).

The Gopalpur police have already conducted a medical test of the survivor and recorded both her and her friend’s statements. Scientific evidence from the crime scene has also been collected, police said.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and has asked the Odisha police chief to conduct a “swift and time-bound investigation”. It has also sought an action taken report within three days.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi has strongly condemned the incident, calling it “a heinous crime against humanity”. He assured that those responsible would face the strictest punishment under law.

“This is a deeply deplorable act that shocks the conscience of society. No one involved — directly or indirectly — will be spared,” the CM said in a statement.

The incident has triggered a major political storm, with the Opposition BJD and Congress stepping up their attack on the BJP government over what they said was the deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha.

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the incident at one of Odisha’s major tourist destinations was deeply shocking and has left everyone shaken. Expressing concern over the safety of women in tourist areas, Patnaik urged the government to be vigilant in preventing “increasing atrocities against women every day”.

The All India Congress Committee’s Odisha in-charge, Ajay Kumar Lallu, said the Gopalpur beach incident has shaken the entire nation, and that the law and order situation has collapsed in the state.

Though Gopalpur beach stretches to around 8 km, only a 1-km stretch is generally crowded and the remaining parts are empty and dark after sunset. Thousands of tourists from Odisha and nearby states visit the beach every day.

The Berhampur SP said police have requested the administration for three all-terrain vehicles for better patrolling of the beach. They have also asked for the entire 8 km of the beach to be illuminated for tourists’ safety.