Odisha Health Minister Dr. Damodar Rout shocked the people of Odisha, when he made a “shameless” remark that the Mahakalapada rape victim may have died due to noise pollution outside the hospital and that it should be properly investigated. The opposition parties led by the Congress and BJP have slammed Dama Rout and asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to sack him immediately.
Mr. Rout not only mocked the victim’s death, but also insulted the women of the state, which may prove costly for him in the coming days. The 14-year-old girl Sujata from Kharinasi village under Mahakalapada police station in Kendrapara district, was raped by two youth, who later set her ablaze. The victim battled for life at the SCB Medical College and Hospital for 13 days before succumbing to the burn injuries last night.
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There was high drama last night, as the victim was first taken to Bhubaneswar Airport to be airlifted to Delhi, but later moved back to the Capital Hospital under mysterious circumstances. For a few hours, the doctors were tight-lipped about her condition, leading to strong protests outside the hospital. Later, the doctors declared her dead at 11:45 PM. Damodar Rout referred to those protests to claim that the victim died because of noise pollution created by the protesters through their slogan shouting and high decibel protests.
The victim was cremated at Puri Swargadwar today. CM Naveen Patnaik has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the victim’s family. At least 20 platoons of police personnel have been deployed across Bhubaneswar to control the situation arisen out of the death of the victim. The Congress, BJP, Left, Utkal Bharat and many othervsocial, student and women organisations have joined the protests, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Health Minister Dr. Damodar Rout.
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