Bhubaneswar, March 31: Opposition Congress and the BJP today forced chief minister Naveen Patnaik to order a crime branch probe into the alleged gang-rape of minor in Ganjam's Patrapur last week.

Naveen announced the probe soon before the ongoing budget session was abruptly closed, six days ahead of schedule. The session was scheduled to conclude on April 6.

"A team of four crime branch officials, led by an officer of the rank of police superintendent, will investigate the incident. The team will reach the alleged victim's village tomorrow," said special director-general of crime branch B.K. Sharma.

The Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes as the Opposition parties' demand for a crime branch probe disrupted proceedings till late afternoon. The proceedings were forced to be adjourned frequently. Announcing the crime branch probe, Naveen said that earlier Ganjam police had probed the incident.

Naveen said the minor lodged a complaint on March 28, where she alleged that the accused, Khambal Pradhan, forcibly took her to the village outskirts on March 9 when she was sleeping with her mother and raped her there. They left her in the nearby jungle after the incident. However, the girl reached her house and narrated the incident to her parents.

During investigations, the statement of the minor, a tribal, was recorded before the judicial magistrate. Pradhan was apprehended and produced in court today. "My government will ensure that stringent and prompt action is taken in accordance with law in this case," said Naveen.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra said a 13-year-old tribal girl from Patrapur in the Chikiti constituency had allegedly been gang-raped earlier this month.

The minor alleged that a few BJD workers had forcibly lifted her from her house around midnight. The girl said they did it to settle a political score as her father was a Congress worker. "I had raised this issue in the Assembly last week and again during the discussion on the budgetary grant of home department on March 28. But the chief minister, who heads the home department, had kept mum," said Mishra.

However, local MLA and women and child development minister Usha Devi refuted the allegation. "The victim was 17 years old and not 13, as alleged. She got married in a Shiv temple, but was later left by the accused in the forest. How can you call it gang-rape?" she asked.

Suicide probe

A House committee, headed by former minister Pramila Mallick, was formed to probe into the circumstances leading to the alleged suicide of Hadu Bagarti last month. Opposition parties had been demanding a House committee probe, alleging that Bagarti had killed himself because of crop loss and loan burden.