Minor raped in Odisha's Kalahandi district, 1 held

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her uncle in Odisha's Kalahandi district, police said today.

The incident comes days after three similar cases of minors' rape were reported from three different places - Nilagiri, Soro and Khaira - in the state's Balasore district.

The incident in Kalahandi occurred yesterday near Bachaka village under the jurisdiction of Biswanathpur police station, the police said.

The accused offered fruits and took the girl to a nearby forest, the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Kalahandi, Gopinath Mani Patra, said.

The accused, who happens to be a cousin of the girl's late father, allegedly raped her inside the forest, the ASP said.

After returning home, the girl, a student of class III, narrated everything to her mother and then the girl's mother lodged a complaint with the police, he said.

A case was registered against the accused on the basis of the FIR and he was arrested, the ASP, who is in-charge of the investigation unit for crime against women, said.

Both the girl and the accused were sent for medical examination, he said, adding that the statement of the girl was recorded before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhawanipatna.

The incidents in Balasore triggered public outcry and had stalled the proceedings of the state Assembly on Monday.