9-year-old girl raped in Guntur, mob goes on rampage

GUNTUR: A nine-year-old girl was raped by a 55-year-old rickshaw puller in Dachepalle village in Guntur district late on Wednesday night, triggering massive protests and a traffic gridlock on the arterial Addanki-Narketpalli highway in Andhra Pradesh. The accused, Annam Subbaiah, is on the run. He allegedly lured the girl with biscuits and sexually assaulted her at his house.
Profusely bleeding, the girl dragged herself home and narrated her trauma. Her mother rushed her to a private hospital where doctors confirmed rape and referred her to a government hospital in Gurazala. She began to sink on way to the hospital and doctors had to infuse blood to revive her. Here too, doctors again referred her to Guntur government general hospital, where she is admitted in the intensive care unit.

The horrific incident triggered massive protests in Dachepalle when residents found the police station empty when they went to lodge a complaint. Angry villagers launched protests in front of the police station and burnt tyres on the Addanki-Narketpalle highway. Vehicles were stranded at least 15km on both sides of the protest site till Thursday morning. Later, police managed to assuage protesters to restore traffic flow.

There was a spontaneous bandh in Dachepalli on Thursday and the village remained tense till reports last came in. Sparks flew at the police station after a face-off between Telugu Desam and YSRC leaders. A police contingent was deployed at Dachepalle to avert communal tension after protesters vandalised the house of the accused.

Guntur (rural) superintendent of police C H Venkatappala Naidu rushed to the spot. He said police were trying to nab the accused. Protests intensified in the evening with no word of arrest of Subbaiah. A mob again gathered on Addanki-Narketpalli highway and stalled traffic for several hours. Protesters vandalised three APSRTC buses and burnt tyres on the road. Sabari Express was also stopped at Nadikudi railway station after protesters squatted on the tracks. Police finally used force to clear protesters.