Nirmal district's Bhainsa, still recovering from an
unfortunate communal clash, was set on edge again yesterday when an incident of sexual assault on a minor of one group by a teenager of another came to light.
Reportedly, the 17-year-old boy who committed the atrocity had led the 4-year-old girl into his home by deceit. However, he fled when the girl's cries attracted the locals nearby.
Later, the girl's grandmother noticed blood stains on her legs, and informed her parents who rushed their daughter to the Nirmal district hospital. However, the hospital officials advised the parents to first lodge a police complaint at Bhainsa. When they were returning to do so, the child began to experience acute abdominal pain. The distraught parents then turned to BJP district president Rama Devi, who took them to Hyderabad's Gandhi Hospital.
The Bhainsa DSP, A Narasing Rao, had meanwhile registered a case against the accused.
The horrific crime has left many outraged. In an expression of their anger at the incident and at the alleged apathy of the Telangana administration, the women leaders and workers of the BJP today held a dharna, during which they blindfolded their eyes, at the L B Nagar Cross Roads.
The protest was led by BJP national Vice President D K Aruna.
Speaking on the occasion, Aruna thundered, "We have organised this protest with our eyes blindfolded to make sure the Chief Minister opens his. He has closed his eyes to the atrocities on the women in the state. This incident is proof of just that. Further, Telangana's law and order situation is in a shambles today. It has failed to offer any sort of protection to women and girls. It is a shame that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has not even made a statement condemning the brutal attack on the girl yet."
The leader demanded that KCR make provisions for the accused to be tried in a fast-track court immediately, and that he ensure that the guilty be punished severely.
She also demanded that the TRS government give ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the victim, and that police protection be provided to Rama Devi, the BJP leader who had extended help to the girl, as she was receiving threatening calls.
"The local police must also be pulled up for their negligent handling of the case. When the parents of the girl had gone to the police station to make a complaint, they were told to keep quiet about the incident. The police did not even make an effort to provide medical help to the girl. It is revolting that the CM, who is supposed to take action against such incidents, has been trying to gag the mouths of the victim and her family with the help of the police," the BJP bigwig added.