Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday assured the Legislative Assembly that he would seek trial of the Mysuru gang rape case in a fast-track court, while Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he would push for capital punishment for the crime.
Mr. Bommai told the House that the victim had given her statement before a court in Mysuru on Wednesday and he expressed confidence that it would be possible to expedite the investigation. The victim, who had been admitted to a hospital in Mysuru after the incident, had subsequently left the city without giving a statement to the police.
Replying to a debate on the incident that happened on August 24, the Home Minister and the Chief Minister defended the police response so far and denied the charges of the Opposition that there was a delay in filing of FIR. The Congress had earlier said that FIR was filed after 15 hours, following protest by party workers.
Mr. Bommai said the FIR had been filed by noon the next day, soon after getting the medico legal report, and asked the members of the House not to demoralise the police. He assured the Opposition that investigation was going as per the rule book.
Mr. Jnanendra insisted that the police have taken incidents of violence against women seriously. “This is not the time to indulge in mud-slinging,” he told the Opposition parties.
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah alleged that there was delay in filing an FIR and suspected that there could be efforts to hush up the case. Accusing the police of being lethargic and irresponsible, he sought to know why the victim was admitted to a private hospital first and why there was poor policing in the area though crimes were reported earlier. He demanded that the police conduct the probe effectively and ensure that the culprits get capital punishment. He urged the police to file chargesheet within 60 days and ensure that guilty are punished within six months.
JD(S) member G.T. Deve Gowda alleged that the police inspector at the station did not co-operate with the boy’s father, who went to the station to register a complaint. Instead of registering the complaint, he bullied him for allowing his son to go out with a girl, he said.
Former Home Minister K.J. George said society should socially boycott perpetrators of crime and not rape victims.
Cong. women members speak out
Women members from the Opposition Congress on Wednesday came to the well of the House demanding that they be given an opportunity to speak on the Mysuru gang rape.
Several members, including Anjali Nimbalkar and Sowmya Reddy, took the government to task over the incident and stressed the need to ensure perpetrators get serious punishment to send a strong message about security of women.
After getting permission from the Speaker, Congress member M. Roop Kala expressed concern over rapid increase in rape and assault cases against women.
Anglo Indian member Vinisha Nero stressed the need for sensitising boys about respecting the rights of women. She said that behaviour that reflects anti-women mindset, such as street harassment, should be nipped in the bud.
Ms. Nimbalkar stressed the need for the House to come out with policy measures to ensure security of women and prevent incidents like rape. She suggested measures like community policing to encourage people to complain if there were incidents of crime against women. Laxmi Hebbalkar called for setting up women’s police stations in all the taluks.