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Thursday, Jan 17, 2008
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Lawyers protest against rape attempt

Staff Reporter

Police arrest a youth of Balipatna village suspecting his role

Agitating lawyers take out a rally and block traffic
The incidence occurred on Monday

—Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

ANGRY PROTEST: Lawyers holding demonstration in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

BHUBANESWAR: Two days after of an alleged rape attempt on woman lawyer and subsequent agitation by other lawyers, the police arrested a youth of Balipatna village on the outskirts of the capital city suspecting his role in the incident on Wednesday.

Members of Bhubaneswar Bar Association, however, continued their stir by taking out a rally, damaging traffic outpost and blocking vehicular movement along Rajmahal Square and AG Square for several hours.

A seven-member delegation of the association also went to Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy demanding police action against the culprit and monetary compensation for the woman lawyer.

Meet held

In the morning, Bhubaneswar Bar Association convened its general body meeting where a number of decisions were taken in connection with the incident. The association condemned the incident. As a mark of protests, court proceedings were boycott by the lawyers on Wednesday.

“No member of bar association would take up the case of the accused involved in rape attempt. Actions should be taken against police officials, responsible for lapse in their duty, which led to rape attempt in public place,” Shilabhadra Sastry, a lawyer, said.

Police took the help of sniffer dog to trace the culprits. About nine accused persons were rounded up while another trained dog of crime branch police zeroed in on a Laxmidhar Swain (28), who reportedly left behind his slipper at the place of incident.

As the incident took place in evening hour, the victim could not identify the accused by face. However, she could make out from the style of talking and physical shape of the Swain, police sources said.

On Monday evening, the 25-year-old lawyer was dragged by the accused when she was on her way to her village, Balipatna, after getting off from a bus. She managed to escape from the clutch of accused. In the same night, the lawyer had lodged a complaint.

Enraged over the incident, other lawyers had taken to the street and brought vehicular movement in front of court at near Kalpana Square to a stand still.

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