Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu turned serious on two distressing incidents involving girls including murder of an Intermediate student in Anantapur town and the rape of a minor girl in Yedugurallapalli, Ramagiri Mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district.

DGP and other senior officials briefed the Chief Minister on the progress of investigations in both cases. The Chief Minister was informed that the girl killed in Anantapur, named Tanmayi, was murdered by someone known to her, while in the Yedugurallapalli case, a group of individuals had been repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl over some time - a deeply disturbing crime.

Naidu expressed deep anguish over the incidents and emphasised that the accused must be punished without delay.

He instructed officials to complete investigations quickly, file charge-sheets and ensure the trials are concluded at the earliest. He stressed that strong evidence must be gathered with utmost care to ensure the harshest possible punishment for the accused.

The Chief Minister directed the police department to deal sternly with crimes against women and said the State must instill fear in the minds of potential offenders about the swift and strict action by law enforcement. He underscored the need to send a strong message that whether a crime is committed in a fit of rage, under the influence of drugs like ganja, or in a planned manner - punishment is inevitable.

He further stated that not just these two cases, but any instance of violence, abuse, or sexual assault against women must be met with decisive police action that sends a clear signal to society. Referring to the previous government, Naidu said that for five years, there was no control over criminals, and due to the widespread drug and ganja culture, many offenders acted with impunity. Even today, some individuals have not reformed their criminal behaviour, he remarked.

He issued strict instructions to crack down on ganja gangs and stated that the police were being given complete freedom to act. “A 100% visible change must be achieved,” he asserted.

Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, Intelligence Chief Mahesh Chandra Laddha and other senior officials participated.