BJD corporator arrested for rape, suspended from party amid rising crimes against women in Odisha
BJD corporator Amaresh Jena was arrested from Balasore on Sunday in connection with a rape case filed by a 19-year-old woman in Bhubaneswar. The woman alleged Jena exploited her sexually since she was 17, forced an abortion, and threatened her.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporator and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Amaresh Jena was arrested from Balasore district on Sunday in connection with a rape case lodged against him in the state capital, police said. Jena was booked under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 64(2) (rape), 89 (causing miscarriage without a woman’s consent), 296 (obscene acts), and 352 (criminal intimidation), as well as Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The complaint was filed at Laxmisagar police station on Wednesday by a 19-year-old woman.
According to the police, Jena had been absconding and remained untraceable at his residence and other known locations in Bhubaneswar. A special squad was formed to track him down. He was eventually located in a village under the Berhampur police station limits in Nilgiri area of Balasore, and taken into custody. Officers said Jena had been hiding near a forest and was preparing to escape into the jungle in the event of a police raid, but the arrest operation was conducted discreetly.
Following his arrest, the BJD suspended Jena from the party with immediate effect. “Amaresh Jena, Corporator, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, is hereby suspended from Biju Janata Dal with immediate effect,” an official statement from the party said.
BJD’s Bhubaneswar president Ashok Panda said Jena's arrest would not impact the party. “No one is indispensable for the BJD. It is always party first. We have acted swiftly after the arrest. The law will take its own course,” he told reporters, adding that the party stands by its pro-women stance.
Girl alleges sexual exploitation on false pretext
The complainant alleged that Jena had been sexually exploiting her since she was 17, under the false promise of marriage. She said he took her to Puri and established a physical relationship. In February 2024, when she was still a minor, he allegedly forced her to terminate a two-month pregnancy by giving her abortion pills. She also accused him of threatening her to stay silent.
The police said her statement has been recorded, and a medical examination has been conducted.
Five of Jena’s aides also arrested
On Saturday night, police also arrested five of Jena’s aides for allegedly helping him evade arrest. The men, from Khurda and Jagatsinghpur districts, were accused of providing transportation and shelter. They have been remanded to judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected.
While on the run, Jena had claimed in a media interaction that he was “innocent” and “framed” by the ruling BJP.
This case comes days after the arrest of NSUI state president Udit Pradhan on similar charges. He was accused of raping an engineering student and has also been suspended from the organisation.