The Nalgonda police have arrested Ramavath Harish Nayak, accused of sexually assaulting 12 minor tribal girls and nabbed N. Srinivas, the caretaker of the DAWN 132 Hostel, run by Village Reconstruction Organisation, an NGO.
The arrest of the teacher came within hours of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s instructions to the Nalgonda district authorities to take serious note of the incident and bring the guilty to book at the earliest. He spoke to the district Collector to submit a report at the earliest so that stringent action could be initiated against those involved in the heinous act.
Speaking to news persons here on Saturday, Nalgonda, SP, T. Prabhakar Rao said 11 girls had been sent for medical examination on Friday and another girl was sent to Nalgonda Government hospital on Saturday following a complaint from her parents. The medical examination reports were awaited.
Facts suppressedThe SP said the caretaker of the hostel, Mr. Srinivas got to know about the crime on December 28, but he did not make any effort to approach the police. Appropriate cases had accordingly been registered against Mr. Srinivas for suppressing the facts relating to the crime perpetrated on minor girls.
The SP said inquiries revealed that the NGO was running similar hostels in two more locations in the district. Police had decided to inspect the premises along with the Collector soon.
Police with the support of district administration were taking steps to accommodate the victims in a social welfare residential hostel, till they came out of the mental trauma.
A woman teacher who played a key role in bringing the episode to light is fearing a threat to her life.
Speaking to The Hindu , she said her school had 82 students of which, 76 were inmates of the hostel run by the NGO. The accused was a native of the tanda while the poor inmates hailed from other villages.
She was apprehensive of an attack as the relatives of the accused were furious with her for bringing the incident to light. "I am planning to approach the DEO and the Collector seeking a transfer from the school or I will opt for leave,” she said.
