Cuttack: A doctor, a government
official and another witness today deposed before the court
which is hearing the Kandhamal nun rape case.
Questioning the veracity of the report prepared by the
doctor of Baliguda sub-divisional hospital, the defence lawyer
asked, "How could the doctor examine a rape victim on August
25, 2008 when the requisition for it came two months later on
October 1, 2008?"
The doctor, Sangita Mishra, contended that she had
examined the victim as per the order of requisition, made two
months after the incident, and her testimony remained
inconclusive.
Besides the doctor, the local project administrator of
integrated tribal development agency (ITDA) Suresh Chandra
Suanr, who had been appointed as a magistrate during the
communal riots, also deposed before the court during the day.
The magistrate had been present during recording of the
statement of the victim at the local police station.
Another witness Subash Digal could identify only one
person from among the accused produced in the court and even
claimed that some people among the mob had actually escorted
the nun to the nearby police station when she was attacked by
another group.
Defence counsel Ajit Kumar Patnaik said the allegations
of rape were an afterthought and documents did not corroborate
the charge.
PTI
