1cr ex-gratia to rape victim demanded

Challur: Senior Congress women leaders and former ministers on Wednesday visited the house of gang rape victim and consoled her. J Geetha Reddy, Sabita Indra Reddy, Sunita Laxma Reddy and State Mahila Congress president Nerella Sarada and others interacted with the girl for about 45 minutes and assured to extend all kind of support to her.

They spoke personally with the girl and her family members for about 15 minutes by sending others including media persons and their gunmen away from the room.

Later speaking to the reporters, they alleged that that police department failed in nabbing the accused till the victim’s family members caught them. Is Karimnagar police in deep sleep? What the cops are doing when the atrocities against women are rising in the district? They questioned.

The leaders also questioned the Huzurabad DSP, as to why he took the victim to the incident spot at around 1.30 am on February 24, despite having the video recording of the entire tragic episode.

Alleging that the police have tortured the girl in the name of investigation, they demanded the government to suspend both the DSP and CI. They found fault with the District Superintendent of Police for summoning the victim to his office instead of visiting her home.

Blaming the police department of not registering the case under Nirbhaya Act, the Congress leaders wanted the government to change the section. Commenting on cops argument that the two accused were minors, they questioned how minors got admission in police coaching centre.

Geetha Reddy demanded the government to fulfil the dream of the victim by giving a job in the police department considering it as a special case. Besides double bedroom house, five acres of land should be allotted to the victim’s family. She also demanded Rs one crore ex-gratia to the victim.

The government was playing a mute spectator role while attacks on dalits were in raise in the State, she alleged and found fault with district Minister K Taraka Rama Rao for not consoling the girl.

Sabita Indra Reddy said they hoped that crime rate would be reduced with the formation of separate Telangana State. However, gang rape incidents were increased after the State bifurcation, she opined. Supporting Rs one crore ex-gratia demand, she felt there was nothing wrong in the demand since Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has given Rs one crore to tennis player Sania Mirza.

She wanted the government to constitute a fast track court to pronounce the judgement within three months and appealed the lawyers not to argue the case against the victim.

Referring the police department claims that they managed to control the crime against women by appointing SHE teams, Sunita Laxma Reddy questioned where are the SHE teams? Are they working? Why a SHE team member didn’t met the victim if they were existence?

Mahila Congress state president Nerella Sarada found fault with the State Women’s Commission for not responding over the issue of a gang rape of a dalit girl even after five days of the incident came to limelight. She interacted with the victim at her house in Challur on Wednesday before the arrival of other women Congress leaders.

How can Tripurana Venkataratnam of Andhra Pradesh continue as the chairperson of Telangana Women’s Commission even after State bifurcation?

Supporting the demand for instant justice by the victim’s family, Mahila Congress president also supported them. Speaking to The Hans India, Sarada demanded the State government to do instant justice to the victim by killing the accused in encounter so that others will not dare to commit such kind of heinous crime in future.

When this correspondent questioned that being a political leader, how can she support unlawful act, she said “I am a woman before becoming a politician. I am demanding immediate justice because I am a woman”.