NHRC seeks report on murder of 3 tribal women in Bhadrak

Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Odisha’s Bhadrak district on alleged murder of three tribal women.

The NHRC passed the order while acting on a petition filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. He had drawn the Commission’s attention to an incident of murder of a minor tribal girl, rape and murder of her mother and subsequent murder of her grandmother at Jalanga village in Bhadrak district last month.

The petitioner stated that the woman and her daughter had gone to Bhadrak District Headquarters hospital for treatment, and the villagers suspected that the accused killed the woman after sexually assaulting her, and then strangulated the minor girl, news agency UNI reported.

He further mentioned that the Reserve Bank of India has adopted Jalanga Village as a model village under ‘Samagra Gramin Vikas Yojna’.

Accordingly, the UCO Bank adopted Jalanga Village in December 2009 for the purpose of financial inclusion, and financial literacy. However, the quality of life of the villagers is yet to be improved in the Village, the petitioner claimed.

The petitioner urged the Commission to ensure justice in the instant case involving the horrifying incident and demanded an independent and impartial investigation with legal action against the culprits.

He also urged the Commission for psychosocial counselling with all rehabilitation measures to the surviving family members of the deceased victims.

The NHRC transferred the petition to the SP, Bhadrak, to ensure the needful action and to submit their action taken report in the matter to the Commission within four weeks.

It also directed the Bhadrak district Magistrate to see the issue of the overall development of Jalanga village and submit the action taken report, including the steps taken under the “Samagra Gramin Vikas Yojana”, within four weeks.