No country for women: Andhra reports 10 cases of crime against females in the last one week

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh reported over 10 cases of crime against women in a week. Victims ranged from a 14-year-old to a 28-year-old and the crimes took place at homes, schools, and public places. While the government has pressed more police staff and Disha patrol vehicles into service, reports say that AP has seen a rise in crime against women since April.

At least one or two cases are officially reported in the state daily. Many cases go unreported because families try to cover them up fearing social stigma. After the Hyderabad Disha gang rape case, Andhra Pradesh enacted Disha Act where the police are supposed to file a charge sheet within seven days. However, the Act has failed to curb crimes against women.

After providing compensation to the victims, the incidents are gradually ignored. According to Home minister Taneti Vanitha, the delay in getting clearance for the Disha Act from the Union government has become an issue. "If the Disha Act is in force after receiving approval from the Central government, there wouldn't be any delay in the investigation and filing of the charge sheet," said Vanitha.

What does the government say?

Home minister Taneti Vanitha said physically and economically weak women are being targeted more. "We will soon give orders to the police department to keep an eye on people with a criminal history. In two cases, TDP party activists committed the crime," the minister said.

What does the TDP say?

TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said there is a "Jungle Raj" in the state under Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. He wrote to director-general of police K.V Rajendranath Reddy, urging him to act tough and prevent Andhra Pradesh from becoming the "most feared hotbed of crimes and criminals." Naidu said the three-year jungle raj was marked by rapes, murders, encroachments, land-grabbing, liquor, sand, mining, ganja, and drug mafia.

Women organizations demand fast-track courts

All-India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) have demanded the implementation of the Justice Varma Commission's recommendations, strengthening of the Nirbhaya Act, setting up fast-track courts, speeding up investigation, and banning porn movies. The growing crime incidents against women were linked to the increase in ganja and illicit drug trade. According to AIDWA state president B. Prabhavathi, many women in the state are illiterate and are unaware of apps introduced for women's safety.

Crime cases in the last week

26 April: A 26-year-old man allegedly raped a 14-year-old speech- and hearing-impaired girl in a village under Rajam Mandal in the Vizianagaram district. The girl used to board an auto-rickshaw to and from home. On the afternoon of 26 April, the girl was waiting for an auto-rickshaw when the accused from the same village offered her a lift on his bike. The man took her to an isolated place near a canal, where he allegedly raped her. The girl was spotted crying by some female passers-by. They also saw the accused fleeing the spot. Later, the woman informed the victim's father of the incident.

28 April: A 35-year-old woman was mysteriously found dead at her residence in Duggirala Mandal, Thumpudi, in the Guntur district. The woman rented water pipes to farmers. Her husband had gone to Tirupati for work. The woman's body with bruises was found at her home. During the investigation, police found liquor bottles at the crime scene. Police took two suspects into custody.

28 April: Police arrested 57-year-old doctor, Sanjay Kapadia, of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant Hospital, for misbehaving with a 17-year-old patient. The girl went to the hospital along with her father, an employee of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). While examining the patient, the doctor misbehaved with the girl. She informed her parents about the incident late at night. They called up the `Dial 100 helpline' and complained.

30 April: A man was arrested for raping and impregnating his live-in partner's 15-year-old daughter at Machilipatnam. She later gave birth to a baby boy. According to the Chilakalapudi police, the man sexually abused the girl for 10 months. When she got pregnant, her relatives admitted her to the hospital.

30 April: Girl students of Chillagundlapalli primary high school in Chittoor district were harassed by their school teacher. The teacher had reportedly been sexually harassing the students for the past six months. According to the students, the teacher used to show them nude videos and photos. They said he used to enter their washrooms, lock the doors, and harass them. He threatened to kill them if they disclosed it to their parents or other teachers. Scared, the students kept quiet for six months. After hearing about the harassment, the headmaster immediately informed the parents and complained to the district education officials. Orders were issued to suspend the teacher.

30 April: Vizianagaram police recovered a burnt body of a woman in an isolated place in Dendaka. While the woman could not be identified, the police suspect that she might have been molested and then killed.

1 May: A seven-month pregnant woman was gang-raped by three miscreants at the Repalle railway station in the Guntur district. A couple from the Prakasam district and their three children got off the train at Repalle station. They could not find a bus at night and decided to sleep at the station. While the family was asleep, three tipsy men dragged the sleeping woman to the end of the platform and raped her. When her husband tried to stop them, he was brutally attacked.

2 May: A 26-year-old-woman was allegedly raped by a 20-year-old youth at her residence in Vizianagaram town. The woman was separated from her husband and had been staying with her two children in a rented house in the town for the past few months. She was working at a tea stall in the town. A male friend offered the woman a lift on his bike. Along with her male friend, she was at her house when three youngsters (all below 20 years) knocked on the door. She opened it, and one of the youths entered the house. He asked the woman's friend to leave the place. Later, he raped the woman and fled the spot.

3 May: Visakhapatnam police busted a human trafficking racket and rescued a 22-year-old-Bangladeshi woman at Pendurthy in Vizag. The woman claimed she visited India to spend the holidays. However, her friends allegedly took away her passport in Kolkata. The woman was sent to Vizag on 28 April and asked to contact Vineet, a native of Kerala. Since then, she stayed with Vineet and another woman in a house located at Sujathanagar under Pendurthi police station limits. The woman grew suspicious when some youngsters came to the house and discussed financial deals and a proposal to send her to Mumbai. The woman also claimed that she was physically abused and locked in a room. The woman managed to contact her brother, a Ham radio operator in Bangladesh and narrated her plight. Her brother got in touch with a Ham operator in West Bengal who contacted the Vizag police.

4 May: RMP doctor Vegi Ramesh, attempted to rape a 14-year-old (class VII) student in Mamidikuduru Mandal in the Konaseema district. According to the complaint, six months ago, the RMP doctor came to treat the girl and took her contact number. On Monday, the girl was sleeping on the terrace, when the RMP tried to rape her.

4 May: In a shocking incident, a girl who came to her grandmother's house from Mumbai was sexually abused by a grocery store owner. The incident came to light late in the Madhavaram area under Mantralayam Mandal in the Kurnool district. The girl went back to Mumbai and suffered severe stomach pain. When she went to the doctors, they told her she was pregnant. The parents complained to the Mumbai police and transferred the case to Mantralayam