A 37-year-old youth identified as Kiran was on Thursday booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, for allegedly raping a four-year-old girl in Yerranela Kottala area of the city.
Three Town Circle Inspector Bala Maddileti said the youth, known to the family, had gone to their house on Wednesday night while the child’s parents were away and allegedly committed the crime.
When the parents returned home and noticed the child in pain, they approached the police.
“The child has been admitted to a hospital for medical care. The accused has been nabbed under the POCSO Act and further investigation has begun,” the Inspector said.
Meanwhile, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) members launched an agitation in front of the Government General Hospital (GGH) seeking immediate hanging of the culprit.
‘Doctors careless’
AIDWA district unit secretary V. Samithri alleged that the doctors were careless and did not conduct tests on the victim till 11 a.m. on Thursday though she was admitted on Wednesday night.
AIDWA demanded protection for such children and stringent punishment for the accused, and blamed it on the unchecked sale of liquor that was making youth go wayward.
“These incidents have been repeating all over the two Telugu States and the root cause is lack of check on pornographic content available on the Internet,” said Ms. Samithri. She sought strict curbs on socially unacceptable content in movies too. Child Welfare Committee chairperson Nallani Rajeswari, along with ICPS Project Director Chinnayidevi visited the family at the hospital on Thursday and sought government help for the family and legal support from the District Legal Services Authority.
