A 14-year-old girl from Sambalpur committed suicide at her house on Wednesday evening after being gangraped by six people earlier this month. The minor’s body was sent for postmortem and later cremated. Police said the minor committed suicide following weeks of mental trauma. All the six accused, including a juvenile, have been arrested, said Sambalpur SP Sanjeev Arora. The girl was followed by the accused and gangraped while she was on way to a local market to meet her friend, police said. According to the police, the minor hung herself with a dupatta after her mother left for the market. Her father, a snacks vendor, was not at home. Her body was found by a neighbour who entered the house after he smelled food burning in the kitchen, police said. The Odisha government’s Victim Compensation Scheme (VCS-2017) provides for counselling support to victims and their families. However, Dr Nirupama Barpanda, a Sambalpur-based women’s rights activist, said, “Neither the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) nor the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in Sambalpur provided the victim and her family psychological support and counselling.” The Sambalpur DCPU said the victim had been “duly recommended for financial compensation”. The Sambalpur DLSA could not be reached for comment. In January, a girl from Koraput had committed suicide after alleging rape by paramilitary forces. Earlier this month, a girl from Nabarangpur committed suicide after a video featuring the minor was circulated in her locality.
