22 Years Later Accused Arrested in Odisha Gang Rape Case
A woman, who was allegedly gang-raped in 1999, breathed a sigh of relief after the police managed to nab the prime accused after 22 long years.
In 1999, a 32 year old woman Anjana Mishra had problems with her IFS officer husband Subash Chandra Mishra. The husband was posted in Baranga, Cuttack District, Odisha. On the night of 9th January 1999, she was going to Bhubaneswar from Baranga in a car. The woman was accompanied by a journalist friend and the car was driven by the driver. Suddenly the car was stopped by 3 men on a scooter. They forced the driver to take the car to an isolated place and gang raped the woman in front of the journalist. After the rape, the three men ran away. The three men were Bibekananda Biswal, Pradeep Sahu and Dhirendra Mohanty. When the news about the rape spread people were outraged.
Also the woman had filed a case of molestation against Indrajit Ray a week before the incident. Anjana had complained writing to the Chief Minister stating that Ray invited her on to his office-cum-residence in Cuttack, took her to his bedroom on the pretext of receiving a confidential call, and attempted to rape her.
After the gang rape the woman accused him Odisha’s CM J B Patnaik for planning the rape as Indrajit Ray was close to the CM. Her accusations created a huge controversy. People were shocked that officials could break rules and misuse their power. Because of this, the CM Patnaik had to resign. The CBI was investigating the case and Sahu and Mohanty were found and arrested a few days after the incident. But the third person Bibekananda Biswal was still missing. For 22 years, the case went cold. The CBI did not investigate properly and could not find the man.
3 months ago Bhubaneswar–Cuttack Police Commissionerate got a clue that Biswal was working as a plumber in Aamby Valley Lonavala, Maharashtra under a fake identity. Biswal was in touch with his family through some persons. Then the family applied for a death certificate. This came to the police’s attention and they wondered why the family was applying for the certificate. Upon further investigation, they stumbled upon a clue that helped in Biswal’s arrest. The police have not revealed what the clue was. They said that with the help of the Maharashtra police, they were able to catch Biswal. The commissioner of police Sudhanshu Sarangi said that we have achieved what the CBI could not for all these years. The woman told the media, "The CBI had sat silent for all these years. I am very thankful to police commissioner Sudhanshu Sarangi for helping me get justice.” The woman said that she struggled with misery and trauma for 20 years. She added, there were several to her life. The woman is adamant that Biswal be hanged. Of the two men who were arrested one died in jail and the other was given life imprisonment.
