Rayagada mob violence case likely to be brought under Red Flag, 20 arrested

Rayagada: The Rayagada district police have sought ‘Red Flag’ classification for the recent mob violence in Kalyansinghpur where a girl and boy working as interns for a NGO were brutally assaulted, from the court, said Superintendent of Police Raj Prasad in a press meet.

The Rayagada SP has further stated that as many as 20 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Moreover, police have also detained several others and questioning them. Police have also stated that several other accused persons have absconded. Police is searching for them at various places.

The district police have requested the authorities to classify it as a Red Flag case.

On June 17, two NGO interns, a young woman from Bihar and her male colleague from Gujarat, were travelling from Daringbadi in Kandhamal district to ThuamulRampur in Kalahandi district through Kalyanpur by following Google Maps.

They stopped near the Kandulguda village in Thamunipanga panchyat under Kalyansinghpur police limits to ask for direction and distributed biscuits to the village children and played with them. However, the villagers mistook them for child lifters and were brutally assaulted by the mob.

The SP said strict legal action would be initiated under the Information Technology (IT) Act against people who recorded videos of the incident and circulated them on social media. The cyber investigation is being conducted under the direct supervision of DIG (South Eastern Range), he added.