Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced that the government will organise a huge rally across its police stations and mandal headquarters, to create awareness against sexual assault and to remind perpetrators of the crime about the punishment they would get.
In a stern warning, the CM said, “If anyone indulges in such crimes, that would be their last day on earth. Such people don’t deserve to be in this state. People should fear that if they indulge in such crimes that they wouldn’t be alive.”
The CM made the announcement after visiting a 9-year-old rape survivor who was availing treatment at a hospital in Guntur. The rape of the minor girl had triggered massive protests in Dachepalli, Guntur. The crime which took place took after the horrific Kathua incident received wide condemnation across the state.
The Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy slammed the ruling TDP government for its inefficiency in controlling the growing crime rate in the state. Even Jana Sena Party chief and actor, Pawan Kalyan had condemned the incident.
Following the mounting pressure on the government, the CM made a personal visit to the hospital and met the survivor and her family.
Addressing the media later, the Chief Minister said, “It is a very sad incident. A shameful incident to even spell it out. As a chief minister, I feel extremely sad. This is an atrocious crime. The civilised society should be ashamed of it. On the day of the incident, I told the police to immediately arrest the criminal, 15 teams were constituted to nab the criminal.”
Lauding the people who protested against the crime, he said, “I appreciate the people who took active participation in the protest. People should be aware and respond to such crimes.”
The chief minister said that there should be wide discussions on the topic which will lead to a change in the people’s mindset.
Background
On Thursday, a 9-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her 50-year-old neighbour Mannem Subbaiah. Subbaiah allegedly lured the girl by offering chocolates and assaulted her. The girl returned home bleeding and collapsed. After she was taken to hospital, the doctors told her mother that the girl was raped and required stitchings. News of the crime soon spread in the neighbourhood and Subaiah fled from his house.
Within a few hours, several residents joined in to protest against the crime and demanded the police to immediately nab the accused and execute him publicly. However, police couldn’t detain him within the ultimatum given by the public. Subsequently, protestors pelted stones on buses and vehicles, vandalised Subbaiah’s home and called for a bandh. Additional security forces were deployed which managed to control the violence.
The next day, police confirmed that the accused, Subbaiah, had committed suicide by hanging self from a tree, 15 km away from Dachepalli, near a temple in Girzala mandal.
The last conversation of the accused on his phone was retrieved in which he had expressed remorse.
In the conversation, he said, “My son cannot live with the shame of what I have done, I have a grown-up child as well...I haven’t done anything good, I should not be alive.”