Nun rape: another accused held

However, the police team headed by an IG had little success on Tuesday, with the Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Diocese Raphael Cheenath insisting that he “has no idea about the victim’s whereabouts”. With little help forthcoming from the Christian leaders, the police team as well as the Additional Resident Commissioner of Orissa in New Delhi, M Satyanarayana, are just hoping that the victim sees reason and comes out of the closet. “We have even offered in-camera trials of the case in Bhubaneswar. Since the medical report has established sexual intercourse, there is very good chance of the accused getting convicted. But if she does not come out then the accused may get bail as they can’t be held in prison,” said Satyanarayana. The CID team also feels likewise. “There is little point in making more arrests unless the victim comes out of the hiding and identifies the main accused,” said a CID officer.

Meanwhile, the CID special team that arrested three tribal Christians from Tumudibandh area of Kandhamal in the Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case on Monday, claimed to have found cogent evidence of their involvement in the murder. On Tuesday, the team put the trio under sustained interrogation for several hours. “We have got some objectionable literature as well as other evidence that could lead to more arrests in the next few days,” said a senior CID official.

District Collector Dr Krishan Kumar said the situation was not yet normal though no violence had taken place in the district. Officials admitted that though violence had subsided, more difficult days lay ahead as the administration had to fulfil its promise to the majority Kondh tribals of finding out the fake caste certificates, one of the causes of the bloody riot. The 10 special police inspectors have been given a month to show results so that the tribal anger can be assuaged.