Odisha: Prime accused arrested in assault of women over allegations of religious conversion bid
Balasore (PTI): The prime accused in the assault of two women over allegations that they were attempting religious conversion of some tribal families in Odisha's Balasore district was arrested, police said.
Addressing a press conference, DIG (Eastern Range) Satyajit Naik on Tuesday said prime accused Badal Panda, a native of Kansa village in Nilagiri police station area, was arrested on Monday.
With this, four people were arrested in the case, he said.
Two women were tied to a tree and beaten up by a mob over the allegation that they were attempting religious conversion of some tribal families. The incident happened in Gobardhanpur village on Thursday and a video of it went viral on social media, they said.
Two cases were registered in connection with the incident that triggered nationwide outrage and political slugfest in the state.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, the National Commission for Women (NCW) sought a report from Odisha DGP YB Khurania within three days.
"The NCW has taken suo motu cognisance of a shocking media report from Balasore, Odisha, where two tribal women were tied to a tree and assaulted on suspicion of religious conversion. FIRs have reportedly been registered against both the women and their assaulters. The Commission has directed the DGP of the state to conduct a fair, time-bound investigation and ensure peace and law and order. A detailed action taken report must be submitted within 3 days," it posted on X.
The DIG said the police acted immediately and rescued the women, besides arresting the accused.
He said the police are also looking into the case in which it was alleged that the women were attempting religious conversions
"Some people have been issued notices in this case. There is an allegation of conversion and villagers had also protested," he said.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
