A 20-year-old female college student was gang-raped by ten men at Gopalpur Beach, a major tourist destination in Odisha, eastern India. Local police announced that they had arrested a total of ten suspects in connection with the case, including six adults and four minors. Authorities also stated their intention to request the court to have the minors tried as adults.
A 20-year-old female college student was gang-raped while visiting Gopalpur Beach in Odisha, eastern India, with friends. The photo shows six of the ten suspects arrested by local police who are adults. Photo by India Express
On June 16 (local time), Indian media outlet Indian Express reported that a gang rape occurred at Gopalpur Beach near Berhampur, Odisha, around 8 p.m. on June 15. The victim had visited the beach with her boyfriend to celebrate the Raja festival. About an hour after arriving at a secluded area, they encountered a group of suspects. According to the investigation, the ten suspects tied up the victim's boyfriend, after which three of them dragged the female student to a nearby location and raped her. The remaining seven suspects stood by and watched the crime.
After the incident, the victim immediately went to the police station but delayed filing an official report out of concern for her identity being exposed. She submitted a formal complaint the following day. Subsequently, on the morning of June 18, police arrested all ten suspects. Among them, four were confirmed to be 17-year-old minors. Berhampur Police Chief Saravana Vivek stated, "All four minors are 17 years old, and according to Supreme Court precedent, they can be prosecuted as adults for serious crimes. We plan to request this from the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB)." Of the total 8-kilometer stretch of Gopalpur Beach, only 1 kilometer is crowded with tourists, while some areas remain deserted and dark after sunset, making them safety blind spots. In response, Berhampur police have deployed three all-terrain vehicles to strengthen beach patrols and have requested that authorities install lighting along the entire stretch of the beach.
Meanwhile, India is notorious for its high incidence of sexual crimes. According to Indian government statistics, 31,500 rape cases were reported in 2022 alone. In December 2012, a 23-year-old female college student was gang-raped and brutally assaulted by five adult men and a teenage boy on a bus in New Delhi, the capital of India. She later died from her injuries and was abandoned on the street, sparking global outrage. In August of last year, a resident doctor was raped and murdered at a national hospital in Kolkata, leading to a large-scale strike by doctors. Police arrested a hospital staff member as a suspect, but the victim’s family raised the possibility of gang rape. In response, the Indian government amended the penal code to allow for the death penalty for rapists. However, sexual violence against women continues to be a persistent problem.
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