Koraput rape: Naveen seeks justice at earliest possible time

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said his government wanted justice at the earliest possible time in the alleged gang rape and subsequent suicide of a minor girl in Koraput district.
Patnaik's statement came in the backdrop of the opposition parties making the girl's alleged gang rape and suicide a major issue in Bijepur Assembly by-election slated for February 24.
"We want justice at the earliest possible time in a most transparent manner," Patnaik told reporters.
Stating that the state government always wants free and fair investigation into the case, Patnaik said the state government has urged the Orissa High Court to monitor the probe by the special investigation team (SIT).

Opposition Congress and BJP have been accusing the BJD government of not being able to give justice to the minor girl who committed suicide on January 22.
The 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by four men while she was returning home from a market in Koraput on October 10 last year. The police, however, had said she was not raped.

On December 29, the girl had alleged that senior police officers had tried to influence her and even offered money to withdraw the case.
The Odisha government has appointed the Koraput district judge the head of the inquiry commission to probe the alleged gang rape and suicide of the tribal girl.

The state government also ordered an investigation by the SIT.