Disrobing of female NGO worker by mob in Odisha sparks fierce political row

The mob attack on two NGO workers including a woman, who was allegedly molested and disrobed in Odisha's Rayagada district recently, has sparked a fierce political row on Saturday (June 20).

Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik described it as a “barbaric and shameful” act, while the ruling BJP asserted that several people were arrested in connection with the case, and all the guilty persons would be punished.

The Congress also alleged that the incident involving two NGO workers from Delhi is a "glaring sign of the collapse of law and order" in the state.

Horrific incident

The incident took place at Kandulguda village under Kalyansinghpur police station on the night of June 16, when villagers mistook the 22-year-old intern and her male colleague of similar age as child-lifters and assaulted them, Rayagada SP Raj Prasad said.

The woman survivor is from Delhi, while her co-worker is from Surat and both were interning with a leading NGO as part of a prestigious fellowship in tribal regions. The two were carrying out research activities with an NGO in Odisha’s Kalahandi, Kandhmal and Rayagada districts.

On the evening of June 16, 2026, both of them were travelling through the Rayagada district of Odisha on a scooter. According to one report, they offered biscuits to children in the area during the course of their work.

Wild, false rumours about "child kidnappers" had been circulating in the locality among the villagers. A local man stopped them, warning them about poor road conditions, and demanded to see their identity cards.

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Although the woman showed her ID, the man refused to believe them, and a crowd quickly gathered.

Panicked, the duo tried to flee on their scooter. A mob chased them on motorcycles. When the scooter slipped and overturned near a field around 8.30 pm, the mob brutally assaulted the male colleague, and stripped and molested the woman.

“The locals assaulted me, pulled me by my hair, tore my clothes and touched me inappropriately even though we had no link with child lifters,” the woman told reporters.

The rescue

A local driver, Balaram Bagh, noticed the assault while heading to dinner. He bravely intervened, pulled the victims away from the crowd, and helped escort them to a police vehicle. Recognising the woman's clothes had been torn by the mob, he gave her his own T-shirt.

The mob was so violent that they even chased the police vehicle carrying the woman and her male companion all the way to the local community health center and attempted to vandalise the hospital premises. Balaram Bagh said that he tried his level best to stop the people, but none paid any heed to him.

“I risked my life, entered into the melee and rescued the woman and sent her and the male victim to a hospital,” Balaram said. He said that the mob was too violent and not in a state to understand anything.

Both the NGO students have returned home after treatment at a local hospital.

Arrests, 'Red flag' status

The police have so far arrested 21 people and registered three criminal cases.

“More arrests could be made in the coming days after verifying the video footage,” Prasad told reporters.

The Rayagada mob violence case involving two NGO interns has now been accorded "Red Flag" status, marking it as a high-priority investigation. Special teams, assisted by the Crime Branch, have been formed to hunt down the remaining suspects.

Authorities have registered three separate cases covering the assault, rioting, and hospital vandalism.

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Police are also actively tracking individuals who filmed, uploaded, or circulated videos of the assault on social media. The SP warned that anyone sharing the footage will face strict action under the IT Act for violating privacy without consent.

Heinous, barbaric incident

Expressing concern over the incident, BJD president Naveen Patnaik said this has raised serious questions about “humanity and the dignity” of women in Odisha.

In an X post, Patnaik said, “This heinous, barbaric incident that occurred in Rayagada, Kalyansinghpur, with a Delhi student has shaken, shamed, and worried the entire Odisha.” The former chief minister raised questions on the state government’s response and asked why Odisha’s image is being tarnished and whether the government and police administration have become helpless in ensuring the safety of citizens.

“Is this government and police administration so helpless? Isn’t ensuring everyone’s safety the responsibility of this government?” he asked, and criticised the government’s “numbness and silence,” which he alleged encourages such crimes.

Patnaik urged the government to immediately implement the strictest possible measures to ensure the safety of women and restore law and order in the state.

Opposition slams govt

Other BJD leaders, including MP Sulata Deo and senior general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar, at a press conference said, “This is the first of its kind in the state. A woman was never disrobed during mob violence. The state government must publish a white paper on the steps taken for women's safety.”

Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das said, “There is no break on the rising crimes against women in BJP-ruled Odisha. This must end.” Around 2,000 activists of the Mahila Congress, led by their state president Meenakshi Bahinipati, launched a fast in the city, accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the state during the day, of being indifferent to the crimes against women.

“Sexual assaults on women have become a regular phenomenon in Odisha, and the PM remains indifferent to such crimes all along. Disrobing women in public seems to become part of the BJP’s governance style,” claimed Bahinipati.

“The Prime Minister may visit Odisha 100 times, but he is indifferent to crimes against women and the dignity of mothers and daughters,” said Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, who also joined the protest.

BJP MP defends govt

Rejecting the Opposition allegation, BJP MP Pratap Sarangi said that the police have taken prompt action in this incident, "unlike the previous government".

"All the guilty persons will be arrested and punished,” said Sarangi, a former union minister.

(With agency inputs)