In the Andhra Pradesh district of Vishakapatnam, two tribal girls were assaulted by eight men. The village elders allegedly tried to hush up the matter by instructing the culprits to pay Rs. 50,000 as compensation to the victims.
Among the eight accused, one is the son of a mandal elected representative and another son of a head constable. The two along with their six friends have all absconded.
In Tajangi Village, on Saturday night two girls along with two male friends went to the local fair. They were unaware that the fair had been canceled and once they got there it started to rain. The four took shelter in front of a closed shop. The eight men reached the shop and chased away the two male friends. They then assaulted both the girls one after the other.
The emotionally and physically scared girls rushed home and told their parents what had happened. The parents preferred to address the issue with village elders rather than place a police complaint.
On Sunday, the village elders were informed about the incident. It has been alleged that the elders called the accused youth and instructed them to give the victims Rs. 50,000 as compensation. But the girls were appalled and refused to take the money. The girls then insisted their parents lodge a complaint with the police on Monday.
Chintapalli Mandal police have registered a case against all the eight accused for assault and for committing atrocities on tribals.
The police have also sent the girls for medical examination to gain a report of an assault and a special team has been tasked to catch the accused that have absconded.
