Andhra: Two tribal girls gang raped; refuse cover up bid and lodge police complaint

May 24, 2017 Editor 0 Comments

Ashish Pandey

The article has been republished from India Today, May 23, 2017.

The elders instead of informing the crime to the police invited the accused to the village for a compromise and finally settled the issue for Rs 50,000. However, the girls refused to compromise and sought stern action

In a shocking incident, two tribal girls were allegedly gang raped by eight men in a village in Vishakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh.

However, the village elders tried to cover up the matter as the sons of a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and a head constable, were involved in the heinous act.

In a bid to compensate the victims, the elders even directed the culprits to pay Rs 50,000. The incident occurred on Saturday night in a school near Tajangi village in Chintapalle police station limits of Visakhapatnam Agency, but it came to light onlu on Monday, after the victims and their parents approached the local sarpanch and then lodged a complaint with the police.

According to police statement, the victims along with two boys had gone to Tajangi to attend the last day of the three-day-long Pothurajubabula festival. While they were watching the cultural show, a thunder storm followed by rain forced them to take shelter in a school building. It was then, when the accused entered the school building. The youth impersonated as police, chased away the male friends and raped the girls.

When the girls raised an alarm, their relatives rushed to the school building and thrashed the accused who then fled from the spot.

The accused have been identified as K Varun, son of A Angadha Rao, a TDP MPTC; K Nagendra, son of head constable GK Veedhi, K. Ganesh; P Divakar, M Hari Govinda Prasad and K Bheema Naidu. The identities of three other accused are yet to be confirmed.

According to Chintapalli Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Pulipati “The girls somehow reached home and their parents made a complaint with the village elders. But the elders instead of informing the crime to the police invited the accused to the village for a compromise and finally settled the issue for Rs 50,000. However, the girls refused to compromise and sought stern action.”

Subsequently, the girls along with their parents lodged a police complaint.

The police have booked the eight culprits under SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act along with rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sent the girls for medical examination.