Express News Service By

BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has rapped the State DGP for non-compliance of its order for Crime Branch (CB) enquiry and action against guilty police officers in a case of paedophilia by a French tourist on Puri beach in 2013.

The Commission had issued the directions to the DGP on September 16 last year and had sought a report on the action taken within four weeks. “No enquiry report has yet been received from Odisha CB/CID so far. Further, it has also not been informed as to what action has been taken against IIC, Sea Beach police station Pravesh Chandra Sahoo. Inaction on the part of authorities has resulted in serious violation of human rights of the victim children, the rights panel stated taking stern note of the lapse.

It has asked the Chief Secretary why interim relief of Rs 10,000 should not be granted to each of the four victim children.

Mathieu Nicolas Furic (46) was able to flee Puri after allegedly sexually abusing four children due to the inaction of police. Furic, who arrived in Puri on November 18, 2013, had checked out of his hotel on November 26, 2013 immediately after another tourist and US national James Foster Gorman caught him in the act with a group of boys on Penthakata beach in Puri on the same day. Gorman had lodged a complaint with the Sea Beach police.

Acting on a complaint by rights activist Akhand, the Commission had then sought reports from the State police authorities on the incident. Additional DGP, HRPC submitted his report stating that IIC Pravesh Chandra Sahoo was guilty of dereliction of duty for not registering a case immediately. “It was on the intervention of Puri SP that the FIR was registered on December 2 after a week’s delay,” the report said.

The Commission had then directed the DGP to get a fresh enquiry conducted by CB and to take appropriate action against delinquent police officers. But it has not been done.