All parties demand justice to rape victims

BHUBANESWAR: All parties in Odisha including main opposition Congress party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), left parties, Gana Sangathans and other non-BJD parties on Monday organised a massive rally here demanding CBI probe into the Pipili gang-rape case and opposing involvement of Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy in the case.

Hundreds of protesters of different political and non-political parties along with noted journalists of the State staged a padyatra with a procession from Master Canteen square to AG Square and later staged a rally in front of the Raj Bhavan. The journalists’ lead by conveners of OGS Prasanta Patnaik and Rabi Das and the members of political parties handed over a memorandum to Governor Murlidhar Chadrakant Bhandare regarding the case.

Protesters said in the memorandum that the Government has turned out to be nightmare for women of the State and this has been abundantly proved in the Pipli gang-rape case and all other rape cases reported from across the State.

The OGS members said in its memorandum that the incidence occurred on November 28 last year causing the gang rape and attempt to murder of the dalit girl, who was witness to the rape of 2008, was also part a criminal conspiracy. Adding that they said, the way the police handled the whole case in the last three years and the way the State run hospitals behaved with a dying victim of rape could no more be kept away from public eyes. They also alleged that the role of the local MLA and Minister for Agriculture has come under strong suspicion.

They have requested the Governor should intervene at the earliest and put a check on the erosion of faith in the criminal injustice of the State and demanded that the raped dalit girl should be provided proper medical support for her speedy recovery keeping in mind that her death may destroy all hopes for punishing the criminals and criminalised political elements. The other demands include the girl must be provided with a well proof security cover and political parties link with the criminals must be arrested immediately and put behind bar. They also demanded CBI inquiry into the case, review of all rape cases by an independent body and adequate compensation for the victims with the affected persons in the cases.

The leaders like Jagannath Patnaik, Kishore Patel and Soumya Ranjan Patnaik from Congress, Vijay Mohapatra, Ashok Sahu and Archana Nayak from BJP, Rabi Behera, Arun Jena and Sudarshan Pradhan from Samajwadi Party, Basant Paikray from CPI, Suresh Panigrahy, Pushpa Panda from CPI (M), Radhakant Sethy and Mahendra Parida from CPI (ML), Shivram from CPI (ML) Liberation, Santosh Mitra from Forward Block and members of other non-political organisations were present in the all party rally organised by Odisha Gana Samaj (OGS).

The leaders and activists of all the party have decided in meeting on Monday evening that they will stage dharnas and silent protests in front of RDC offices of different regions including Cuttack RDC on January 21, Sambalpur RDC on January 24 and Brahmapur RDC on January 27. Specially, they will sit on a fast on January 30 on the martyrdom day.

On the other hand, protesting Pipili gang-rape case, Students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi led by NSUI leader Manoranjan Mohapatra on Monday staged demonstration before the residence of chief minister Naveen Pattanik who is on a five-day visit to the capital.

Tamil Sangam observes Pongal in city

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam on Saturday observed Pongal festival with hundreds of Tamils, Telugus, Malayalis and Odia peoples in the city. Within the premises of the Tamil Sangam building, the gathering have enjoyed the festive moments of traditional Pongal with their relatives and friends.

On the occasion of Pongal, varieties of programmes were organised in a traditional way with children from morning 11am. Apart from cooking of Pongal, Rangoli competition, traditional dances by ladies, speeches by Tamil scholars from Tamilnadu and discussion on literature, the Tamil Sangam prepared Pongal in traditional way in group.

UKM demands releasing of Gananath Patra

BHUBANESWAR: Demanding unconditional release of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha advisor Gananath Patra of Narayanpatna, the Utkal Khadi Mandal (UKM) organised a citizens' assembly at the headquarters of the organisation here on Saturday.

The members of the UKM said that if the Government will not release Gananath Patra, who is fighting for public’s cause, a mass movement is to be organised. In the meeting, the members decided that a team of representatives will visit Koraput Jail to meet Patra.

Among others, Patra’s associate Tapan Mishra, who had spent 18 months in false and fabricated maoist case in Koraput jail, Trade Union leader Krushna Patra, General Secretary of Dhenkanal branch of PUCL Prashant Mishra, Sarvodaya leader Baishnav Das, Sobhakar Swain and other members of the organisation were present in the meeting.            

RSP closes 2 units for creating pollution

ROURKELA: Following the direction of State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) on December 19 last year to shut down its two units for creating pollution beyond stipulated limits, Rourkela Steel Plant which is the first integrated steel plant in the public sector in India closed down its No 1 Sintering Plant and the No 3 MP boiler of its Captive Power Plant on Tuesday.

While 100 mg of pollutants in the plant atmosphere is permissible, it was much beyond that at the sintering plant and the CPP MP boiler No 3, sources revealed. The RSP authorities had started operation of the Sintering Plant No 1 in 2008 and the MP boiler No 3 in 2010 without approval of the Pollution Control Board.

The plant also informed the SPCB about their pollution control measures and it has prepared an action plan to check pollution. “We are following the guidelines given by the SPCB to control pollution,” said an official of RSP.

After the Thermal Power Plant at Kaniha and the Nalco, the Rourkela Steel Plant is the third in the line of fire by the Pollution Control Board, pointing fingers at their irresponsibility towards public concerns.

NAWO condemns Govt’s apathy in Pipili rape case

BHUBANESWAR: National Alliance of Women Odisha chapter (NAWO) has strongly condemned Government’s apathy and police inaction in Pipili gang-rape case. They have demanded the Government should take appropriate steps immediately and to provide protection to women.

According to the NAWO, gang-rape cases are increasing day by day as recently six rape cases came to the light after media intervention. The Government should take immediate action to give justice to the victims.

They also demanded before the Government to reject the bail plea and impose rigorous punishment for the culprits, punish Pipili IIC for not accepting FIR, action against Pipili medical officer, protection for the victim and her family and to protect women’s right to bring equality between men and women.    

Porn airing case: contract with TV operator cancelled

BHUBANESWAR: Airing of an obscene film on the city railway platform television turned disaster for Sagar Vision Advertising, the operating agency of TVs in the major East Coast Railway stations, as the agency lost its contract with ECoR on Sunday following the blue film hungama on the platform TVs.

Besides cancellation of the contract, ECoR have directed Cuttack and Brahmapur railway stations to stop playing the TVs for indefinite period and all 24 TVs were turned off at main railway station of ECoR, which had showed porn content for continuously 10 minutes by an operator on Saturday.

“We handed over the operator Asutosh Swain, the porn video player, to Government Railway Police for further inquiry into the matter. After the incident we have locked the systems and turned off the TVs,” said inspector of Railway Protection Force Barun Kumar Behera to The Pioneer.

1 held for playing Blue film on rly platform TV

BHUBANESWAR: Blue film on city railway platform Television was not a joke on Saturday when Railway Protection Force arrested Asutosh Swain, the TV operator, after receiving complains from the passengers present over there.

According to a RPF official, while watching the TV hanging at the city railway platform here, some adult content came to the TV screen and it played for ten minutes. These Televisions were operated by a private partnership Sagar Vision of Dolamandap in Cuttack district. Swain was in the charge of operating the TVs in the platforms, added the official.

At the time of data entry, Swain had connected a memory card of his mobile phone to the operating system. In course of operating, the adult video clip stored in a file of his memory card played unknowingly, said the TV operator.