An undertrial prisoner faced sexual assault inside Choudwar Circle Jail in Cuttack on June 21. The victim, an 18-year-old youth from Jagatsinghpur district, was lodged in jail for a theft case.
Sources identified the accused as Kahna Nayak, a convict serving a sentence in a murder case. He lived in Room No. 23 of the jail. Around 1.30 pm, Nayak took the undertrial prisoner to a toilet near the jail kitchen. He forced the youth to consume an intoxicating substance before assaulting him.
The assault continued for nearly 30 minutes until a warder reached the spot after receiving information. Jail authorities recorded written statements from both inmates. As per procedure, the matter should have gone to Choudwar Police Station. Allegations surfaced that officials tried to handle the case internally instead of filing an FIR.
Authorities shifted Nayak from Room No. 23 to Room No. 46 after the incident. Reports revealed that Nayak faced similar allegations earlier. Prison staff accused him of exploiting inmates and running an illegal narcotics trade inside the jail. They claimed he sold ganja, brown sugar, liquor, and tobacco with the help of a jail employee. Sources alleged that these substances were stored in the jail kitchen and supplied to inmates.
