Advocating violence against those who indulged in heinous crimes against women, Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari asked girls to 'carry knives' and 'chop off the genitals' of any man who tries to force himself on her.
Rajakumari made the statement after visiting two tribal girls, at the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
The two girls, both minors, were gang raped by a group of eight men at Tajangi village on May 20.
The accused reportedly thrashed two male friends who were accompanying the girls, before allegedly raping them in a school building.
Media channels flashed visuals of a teary-eyed Rajakumari stepping out, after meeting with the girls, and even breaking down in front of the cameras.
"They (the accused) forced themselves on the two girls and thrashed their friends. This is very bad. They are behaving like animals. For people like this, I think we should punish them like what happened in Kerala the other day," Rajakumari told the media.
She was referring to the incident in Kerala, where a law student bobbitised a godman who frequently visited her house, and had been allegedly raping her over several years.
Reports add that the Chairperson was known for issuing fiery statements and her straight talk.
Rajakumari had visited the hospital along with state ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Ayyanna Patrudu and other local MLAs.
Rajakumari went on to add, "I'm saying this as the Chairperson only. Every girl should carry a knife when she goes out, so that when a person tries to force himself like an animal, she should cut off his genitals."
Pointing out that even Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the girl's move in the other case, a 'brave act', Rajakumari said, "Why I am saying this, is because think about the atrocities that women face today. Women have to be careful...Either way, anyone who plays with women's lives like this, should be booked under the Nirbhaya Act."
She was also quoted as saying, "We will skin them (rapists). Police, too, should not mask the rapists' faces whenever they are caught. Instead, they have to be paraded in streets, thrashed with footwear and brooms and only then lodged in police station."
She also told the media that the public could 'interpret it however they want'.