One after another, Odisha Police' Crime Branch team engaged in the inquiry of the alleged gang rape and attempt to murder of a girl from Pipili's Arjungoda village in Odisha has arrested three of the four accused in a dramatic sequence in the last three days. While the prime accused Prasant Pradhan alias Pasia of Poparanga Village was nabbed at Khurda Road railway station on Sunday, 15 January 2012, police arrested two other accused Purnachandra Swain and Premanand Nayak in next two consecutive days. Police is now looking for Sukant Pradhan, the last of the accused.

The case has become a sensitive one with opposition political parties and civil society members came on the roads demanding a CBI probe to ensure justice to the victim dalit girl who is now in a state of coma and is struggling for life in SCB Medical College, Cuttack.

The case became a thorn in the throat of the Odisha Government and the state Police when news about denial by local Police to receive the FIR from the alleged rape victim's family and denial of immediate treatment came in media and drew wide reactions. It was only when the State Human Rights Commission and Odisha High Court intervened by passing orders for immediate inquiry into the case and submit report and, also, instructed to make the best treatment available to the victim, the dalit girl in a state of coma was admitted for treatment and Odisha government soon ordered for inquiry by the Crime Branch and, also, set a judicial commission of inquiry for probing into the case.

The case has now become a political issue in the state with leaders of opposition political parties linking the Agriculture Minister of Odisha and Pipili MLA Pradeep Maharathi for playing a role in influencing the local police who denied to accept the FIR about the case from the family of the victim who was allegedly gang raped and attempted to be killed on November 28, 2011. While the government or the ruling party has not yet reacted to such an allegation by the opposition parties, the local MLA and Minister has refuted to all such charges saying that he is equally shocked with such a case and is to cooperate the investigations to get the culprits punished.

In the mean time, a civic body 'Odisha Gana Samaja' has submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Odisha requesting his intervention for a CBI probe of the Pipili gang case and review of all rape cases reported across the state.

On the other side, the victim of alleged gang rape case of Pipili is struggling in SCB Medical College Hospital. The plan to shift her to AIIMS, New Delhi couldn't work out as the parents of the victim didn't agree to shift their ailing daughter.