Naveen promises 'extremely strong' action in Dalit rape case

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said "extremely strong" action will be taken against those found guilty in the alleged rape of a Dalit girl at Pipili in Puri district.

"I can assure you all that very stringent and extremely strong action will be taken in this matter," he told reporters on his return to the state capital after a five-day visit to New Delhi.

Asked whether he would take action against Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy who had been accused of giving shelter to the accused, Patnaik said, "It is already late evening. I have just returned from Delhi. I will look into the matter in detail tomorrow."

Terming the incident as "unfortunate", Patnaik said the state's health department had been making effort to send the young lady to AIIMS, Delhi for further treatment.

Consultations with the parents of the 19-year-old girl were on, he said.

Noting that some persons have already been arrested in this connection, the chief minister said he had ordered a judicial probe into the incident.