Young girl hockey player kidnapped, raped by coach in Odisha
A 15-year-old hockey player from Odisha’s Jajpur was allegedly kidnapped and raped by her coach and two former coaches.
A 15-year-old girl hockey player from Odisha’s Jajpur was allegedly kidnapped and raped by her coach earlier this month, news agency PTI reported in a report.
Police officials said on Tuesday that two of her former coaches were involved in the incident. The victim lodged a complaint on Monday, almost 20 days after the incident.
The terrorist alleged that her coach and his accomplices forcibly took her to a hostel while she was returning home and raped her. Later, they threatened to kill her if she reported the incident to anyone or tried to file a police complaint.
Police immediately arrested four people allegedly involved in the incident.
“We have arrested a hockey coach and two former coaches. One of them sexually assaulted the girl and two others helped him in the crime,” Jajpur Superintendent of Police Yash Pratap Shrimal told news agency PTI.
Police have registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act, including charges of sexual assault. One of the arrested suspects has been released as no evidence has been found so far, officials said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
In the past few months, Odisha has been rocked by a surge in sexual assault cases, which have drawn widespread outrage and political action. In Balasore, a 20-year-old college student set herself on fire after accusing her professor of sexual harassment.
This month, two teachers were arrested in Balasore after a Class 9 student alleged prolonged sexual and mental harassment. Congress’ Odisha NSUI president Udit Pradhan was arrested for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student in Bhubaneswar.
In June, a 20-year-old college student was allegedly gang-raped by 10 men near Gopalpur beach; the victim lodged a complaint late at night, leading to the National Human Rights Commission issuing a suo motu notice and the police arresting seven suspects.
