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A woman and her 17-year-old daughter died allegedly by suicide in Andhra Pradesh, after the police refused to register a sexual assault case that they tried to file. The minor girl was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted by a man, but the police refused to file a case. A police officer has been suspended on charges of negligence following the deaths and booked for abetment of suicide. The police however have claimed that the girl eloped with the accused man consensually, and that there was a fight in the family once she had been traced after which the mother and daughter were found dead.
The 17-year-old girl went missing on September 12, and the family approached the police seeking to file a missing complaint. On September 13, the girl was found by the family, and the mother once again tried to file a complaint against the accused. However, the police allegedly refused to register an FIR. While the girl’s family has alleged she was abducted and sexually assaulted, the police claim that the girl and the accused were in a consensual relationship. As per law, since the girl in question was a minor, it is required that the police file a case immediately.
On September 16, the mother and daughter attempted suicide, and were rushed to the Eluru government hospital for treatment. They were later shifted to Vijayawada Government General Hospital, where the mother died on the night of Saturday, September 24. The daughter died on the morning of Sunday, September 25. Their relatives and other local residents staged a protest at the Pedavegi police station, raising slogans against the police for their inaction.
In the aftermath of their deaths, a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered. The Sub Inspector of the Pedavegi police station, Satyanarayana, was suspended on charges of negligence, for not registering a case immediately and proceeding with the investigation. A departmental inquiry has been ordered against him, Eluru SP Rahul Dev Sharma told TNM.
According to the police, SI Satyanarayana was informed by the hospital about the suicide attempts, but he still did not register a case. “This is a clear case of negligence and breach of duty by the SI. Even after the hospital informed the SI about the suicide, he did not register a case. The SI had four occasions where he could have booked a case, but despite that it was not done. A case of abetment to suicide has been booked and investigation is underway. Meanwhile, as the victim is a minor, a case has been booked under the POCSO Act,” Rahul Dev Sharma said.
The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has demanded a full-fledged investigation into the matter. Speaking to the media, party leader Chintamaneni Prabhakar said, “The 17-year-old girl was taken away by a man and sexually assaulted. Her father gave a written missing complaint to the Pedavegi SI, naming the accused based on some eyewitness accounts. Due to police negligence, although the POCSO Act should have been invoked here, the parents themselves found their daughter and again approached the police with a complaint. Yet, the police acted in a negligent manner and caused the death of the mother and daughter. There must be a full-fledged investigation into the matter.”