Bhadrak (Odisha): Protests erupted in Bhadrak district after the blood-soaked body of a 10-year-old girl was found near a bushy stretch in Baligaon under Chandbali police limits on Tuesday evening. The minor, a resident of Naligaon village, had gone missing earlier in the day. Her family later lodged a complaint alleging she was “raped and murdered”.

Police retrieved the body from a forested area and sent it for postmortem. Officials said the cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received.

Accused arrested

Odisha Police on Wednesday arrested the prime accused in the case. He was detained in Jagatsinghpur district and brought back to Bhadrak for interrogation. A scientific team and a sniffer dog squad were deployed at the spot to assist with evidence collection.

Preliminary findings indicate the girl had told her family she was going to school but did not return, prompting a search that led to the discovery of her body.

Protests and road blockade

Soon after the recovery, tension rose as villagers gathered in large numbers at the site. Residents alleged the child was sexually assaulted and her body abandoned in the dark. They later blocked the road at Baligaon, halting vehicle movement for hours.

Sub-divisional police officer Trilochan Sethi, the local tehsildar and Chandbali IIC Paresh Mohanty reached the protest site and held discussions with the demonstrators. A platoon of armed police has been deployed. Sethi said the situation was under control and the investigation was progressing.

Escalation in the area

Following the arrest, angry locals demolished the house of the accused in Rampalli village. The incident led to further unrest in the region.

According to reports, BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray announced a 24-hour block bandh in Chandabali to condemn the crime. The Odisha Human Rights Commission registered a case and sought strict action.