Jhardanga is a small village in Dasarathpur block of Jajpur district in Odisha. The population of the village is approximately 1000 out of which only 75 persons are Dalits. Even now,   the practice of caste discrimi-nation is prevalent in the village and the dalits are not allowed to enter into the temple. Mani Jena lives with his wife and his daughter in that village. His daughter Hema (name changed) is a child with partial abnormal mental condition. Mani Jena and his wife are also dull-witted mentally.

 On 8.1.2024 in the afternoon, Hema had gone to Pokharipadia near the village to watch the cricket game. At that time a 27 year old young man named Mithun Mahali of same village came to her and told her to come to the paddy field to collect broken paddy bunches. As she is a child and also with slightly dull mental condition, she did not suspect Mithun and went to the paddy field with him. Mithun raped her there. When she cried, her mouth was closed by Mithun with his hand. She had bleeding injury from her private part. After rape Mithun threatened her to murder if she discloses the incident to anyone and asked her to come back from the field after 20 minutes of his going away.

While coming back from the field, Hema met her cousin sister on the way. As she was very frightened, her sister asked her repeatedly what has happened and finally she narrated the incident to her. Both of them went to their sister-in –law (Bhauja) and described the incident. Hema’s dress was tinged with blood. As the parents of Hema are not mentally very sound, the matter was discussed with her uncle, Rabindra Jena when he came back from work at night. On the next day on 09.01.2024 morning Rabindra Jena, Rashmita Jena, Jayanthi Jena, and Hema Jena went to the Jajpur police station and lodged complaint.

Basing on the complaint, FIR no 10 was registered under Sections 376(3), 506 IPC with 6 POCSO Act and 3(1)(r)(s)(va) of SC ST PoA Act. The statement of the victim was recorded by Police, medical examination was conducted and the blood stained dresses were seized. The accused was apprehended and forwarded to judicial custody.

A media report carried the horrible news of rape of a 4 year old girl. It was tracked, the reporter was contacted and fact finding of the case was conducted and it revealed as under.Charapada is a village under Nikirai police station in Kedrapara district Odisha; nearly 30 families belonging to Scheduled Caste community dwell in this village. One of the SC families is Khetrabasi. Khetrabasi is a migrant worker and stays at his work place at Pune while his wife Pravati, mother, 4 year old daughter Sarita (named changed) and 8 year old son Manoj live in their house at Charapada. Khetrabasi was out of house since 4/5 months.

On 08.02.2024 at about 3 pm Pravati was taking her lunch inside her house while her daughter Sarita (named changed) was playing in her veranda. She was not very watchful about Sarita. But suddenly her daughter came to her crying. When Pravati asked her why she was crying, she narrated how she was taken to a secluded place by her uncle, namely Papuni and there he caused penetrative sexual assault on her causing bleeding injury.

 On hearing that, Pravati checked the private part of her daughter and found the bleeding injury. She took the kid to the house of the accused (Papuni); there Sarita got hold of the hand of Papuni and asked him why he did this? Papuni had no answer to that.

The kid was continuing to bleed. She was taken to the health centre. Allegedly, the lady doctor in the health centre was rude and delayed the treatment. The matter was reported to Nikire police and FIR no 43 was registered on 9.2.24 under Sections 376AB IPC with 4 of POCSO Act. The accused is arrested and forwarded to jail custody.

Akarapada is a revenue village under Jajpur police station. Some Scheduled caste people live in that village with other communities. Sony Mallik, daughter of Harihara Mallik is a 10 year old girl belonging to Scheduled Caste community. On 27.11.2022, Sony went to the betel shop near their house to fetch some commodities. It was around 12.30 during the day and the place was lonely at that time. The shopkeeper, Shambhunath Mahalik taking advantage of the deserted situation took Sony to the back of his shop and assaulted her with aggravated penetrative sexual assault. Due to delay in return of the child, her elder sister, Sumi (name changed) went to the shop to look for her; as she reached the shop, the accused left the little girl. Sumi asked what he was doing; Sambhunath slapped her. Both the sisters returned home and narrated all these incidents. The father and mother of the child went as soon as possible and reported the matter in Jajpur police station. The complaint was registered as Jajpur PS case no 432 dated 27.11.2022 under Sections 376(A), 376(B), 323 IPC, 3(2)(v) SC & ST PoA Act with 4(2), 6 POCSO Act. Some local residents said, with the condition of not revealing their names, that the incident is true because the shopkeeper is constantly engaged in such activities; he should be punished.

            Nalini Samal is a resident of Banipada village under Tangi-Chaudwar Block in a Dalit cluster. Around 20-25 Dalit families and over 100 are upper caste people live in that village. In the past there was a murder in the village by some people running spurious liquor trade in the village and adjoining areas. The victim, Nalini Samal, is a relative of Saroj Samal, who died in the incident.So she testified against criminals as a government witness. Mita Raut is the wife of accused, who is in jail. The accused is a person of upper caste. As Nalini is a witness against her husband's case, Mita had a motive to put Nalini and her family in problem and harass them.

On 10-10-2023, at about 7 pm, when Nalini was going out, Mita stopped her on the road and abused her with all kinds of obscene language and and humiliated her aspersing her Caste. When Nalini protested, Mita assaulted her and again threatened to kill her if she testified in the court, and she also threatened to frame Nalini's son in a false case. Some of the villagers reached the spot on hearing the commotion, Mita left the place and later went to the police station and filed a case against Ranjan Samal (son of Nalini). On the basis of the complaint the Choudwar police detained Ranjan in the police station and released him at 10 pm the next day. On 11-10-2023, Nalini submitted a written case in Chaudwar police station but it was not accepted and Nalini sought the help of the Ambedkar Lohia Vichar Manch in this regard and after intervention by Ambedkar Lohia Vichar Manchp, the case was registered in Chaudwar police station one month after the incident.