Bhubaneswar, June 15 -- Raja festival, a joyful three-day celebration that traditionally honours womanhood and brings families together across Odisha, turned tragic this year as three separate cases of rape and gang-rape were reported in a single day.

Three separate cases of sexual assaults have rocked Nabarangpur, Bolangir, and Mayurbhanj districts. What should have been days of festivity and laughter instead became a series of painful crimes that have left citizens shaken and renewed concerns about women's safety in the state.

In the first incident, on Pahili Raja in Nabarangpur, a 22-year-old girl had gone out with her friends to celebrate but never returned home. Her family grew alarmed when she stayed out late. Shockingly, her body...