In a disturbing incident that has rattled the Nayagarh district of Odisha, a 12-year-old student at a madrasa was allegedly subjected to prolonged sexual abuse by senior peers before being murdered. The police investigation revealed that five juveniles, aged between 12 and 15, allegedly committed the crime.
The victim, originally from Cuttack district, was sexually assaulted repeatedly over six months inside the madrasa premises in Neelapalli. After lingering in silence due to fear and humiliation, the boy was eventually strangled and his body dumped in an abandoned septic tank after he threatened to expose his abusers.
The accused juveniles confessed to the crime and were sent to a juvenile detention centre. This heart-wrenching case has sparked widespread outrage and demands for stronger child protection measures.
Graphic Details of Abuse and Murder
Police investigations uncovered harrowing circumstances surrounding the boy’s death. The abuse reportedly began months earlier, with a senior student coercing the victim into an unnatural sexual relationship. On August 31, after another assault, two accused students hurled the victim into a septic tank, mistakenly believing him dead. However, the boy managed to survive and escaped that night despite injuries.
Tragically, on September 2, he was lured back by two students pretending to help him; three others joined in, and the group assaulted, strangled, and killed him before disposing of his body in the same septic tank. Surveillance camera footage and forensic reports corroborated this sequence. The madrasa has expelled the accused students and seized their documents as investigations continue.
Context and Police Proceedings
The victim’s disappearance was reported by his father to local authorities on the day of the murder. Authorities recovered the boy’s body from the septic tank, confirming murder after initial assumptions of an accident. Police disclosed that the victim was fearful of reporting the abuse due to social stigma.
Nayagarh Additional Superintendent of Police Subash Chandra Panda described the prime accused as a 15-year-old student who had manipulated and coerced the victim for months. Legal action ensued under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The accused were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and remanded to a juvenile rehabilitation home in Angul for further proceedings. The madrasa, housing around 16 students between 12 and 15 years, is cooperating with police inquiries and has promised support to the victim’s family.
Crimes against children, including sexual abuse, physical violence, neglect, and exploitation, are alarmingly widespread globally. Many victims suffer long-term trauma, and often the perpetrators are people known and trusted by the children themselves.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This tragic event lays bare the vulnerabilities children face in institutions that are meant to educate and safeguard them. The Logical Indian reiterates the urgent need for rigorous child safety regulations and mechanisms for timely identification and reporting of abuse within all educational settings, including religious institutions.
Institutions must foster safe, transparent environments where children can speak out without fear of retribution or humiliation. Moreover, community awareness and sensitivity towards child welfare must be enhanced to prevent such atrocities.
