An 11-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by two teenage boys after being coerced into consuming alcohol in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, police reported.

The horrific incident took place on March 15, during Holi celebrations, near the girl’s home within the Umerkote police station limits, but came to light the following day when the victim confided in her parents.

According to the complaint filed by the girl’s parents at Umerkote police station, two local boys, aged 15 and 17, forced their daughter to drink liquor before sexually assaulting her. The accused, who are distant relatives of the victim, fled the area after the crime but were later apprehended by police within the district. "We have arrested the two boys on charges of rape. They were produced before a court in Nabarangpur on Tuesday and sent to a juvenile home," said Nabarangpur SP Mihir Kumar Panda in a statement to PTI. The SP added that both the victim and the accused were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

The victim, a Class 7 student at a local school, had her age verified as 11 years through school records. Following the assault, she and the accused underwent medical examinations at the district headquarters hospital. The police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crime.

The incident sparked outrage in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday, with Congress MLA Sofia Firdous raising the issue and condemning the rising incidents of sexual violence in the state. Speaking outside the House, she said, "Sexual assaults have become common in Odisha. We have been demanding a House committee to probe attacks on women and girls." Firdous announced that the Congress party plans to gherao the Assembly on March 27 to protest the increasing violence against women.

Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam also criticized the BJP-led state government, holding it accountable for failing to curb such crimes.