A video of the incident was later circulated widely on social media.
Three men were arrested in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district for allegedly harassing and assaulting a young couple returning from a Shiva shrine last week, police said.
Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Sonkar identified the arrested men as Saroj Nayak and Samir Nayak, both from Bania village, and Sangram Rath of Raipur village. They were allegedly stopped near Bhangargarh in the Shorishiapada area along the Deogaon-Tangi road. The youths allegedly abused and harassed the couple and recorded the incident, after which the video was circulated on social media. The complaint was subsequently transferred to Gandia police for investigation. The incident has drawn attention after a similar case in Bihar’s Jamui district involving the alleged harassment of two students also prompted police action following the circulation of videos online.
They were booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those relating to sexual harassment, causing hurt, criminal intimidation and criminal defamation, as well as Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act (concerning the electronic transmission or publication of obscene material). The incident took place on September 18 when the couple from Cuttack district were returning by motorcycle after visiting the Shiva temple at Kapilash in Dhenkanal. A complaint was initially lodged at Choudwar police station in Cuttack on September 19 after the complainants learned that the video had been circulated online.
Police said they were also examining whether other people seen in or linked to the incident had participated in the alleged harassment or recording and circulation of the video.
