Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Mahila Wing State president V. Anitha has said that that Disha app, which was launched by the State government to protect women, is being misused by some police personnel and Ward/Village Volunteers. She alleged that a 19-year-old girl was raped by a police Inspector in Eluru in West Godavari district. Though the incident came to light recently, the Police Department has not taken any action, she said.
Addressing the media here on Tuesday, Ms. Anitha alleged that some policemen and Ward/Gram Volunteers were harassing girls after collecting their contact numbers in the name of Disha app awareness programmes. As per our information, a Circle Inspector (Traffic) came into contact with a 19-year-old Dalit girl through this process, lured her on the pretext of providing Mahila Police job and had sexually exploited her for three months, she alleged.
“The Police Department failed to arrest or book the accused under any Section of IPC but simply placed him under suspension,” she said wondering as to why Home Minister M. Sucharitha and women members of the A.P. Police Officers Association were silent on the issue and have not reacted to it so far.
Coming down heavily on the Home Minister, Ms. Anitha described her as ‘a puppet’, who reads the script given by YSRCP leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy. The Home Minister responds to issues not connected to her own department but fails to react on important matters concerning her own department, Ms. Anitha alleged. The TDP leader said that crimes against women could have been under control, if the Home Minister had promptly responded, when such issues occured.
Ms. Anitha demanded termination of the services of the accused and booking of cases under relevant sections apart from conducting a probe to see whether he was involved in any other crimes. The victim should be given a government job, she said.
