"Karnataka govt should have taken strict action, arrest should've been made...": NCW chairperson on Belagavi incident
Dec 15, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 15 : Hitting out at the Karnataka government over the Belagavi incident, wherein a tribal woman was paraded naked, the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Friday said that the state government should have taken strict action in such an incident and arrest should've been made immediately.
The NCW chairperson accused the Karnataka government of not paying any attention to the horrific incident where in a 42-year-old woman in the southern state was disrobed, assaulted, and paraded as her son eloped with another woman.
"The Karnataka government did not pay any attention to the case and the police did not take any action. The woman was declothed, tied to an electric pole and beaten. This is very inhuman and I feel that the Karnataka Police should have taken strict action against those committing cruel atrocities and arrested them immediately. However, they were sleeping and did not take timely action," the NCW chairperson said.
Rekha Sharma has directed a team led by member Delina Khongdup from the Commission to inquire about action taken in the case and submit their findings promptly. Furthermore, the Commission has requested the Director-General of Police (DGP) to furnish an action taken report by December 17.
Taking note of this, she said, "A team of NCW is going to meet the victim and investigate the issue. After observing her well-being, they will ask her if she received any help. The Karnataka government didn't pay any attention to it. The Police have taken no action...It (the incident) was very inhuman. The Karnataka government should have taken strict action in such an incident and arrest should've been made immediately...Now, I think due to the pressure of the High Court, they have made a move but our team is going to investigate the support provided to the victim."
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda has constituted a five-member fact-finding committee in a bid to further investigate the matter.
The committee, comprising prominent BJP MPs--Aprajita Sarangi, Sunita Duggal, Locket Chatterjee, Ranjeeta Koli, and Asha Lakra, will visit the incident site and promptly submit a report to the party chief as earliest as possible.
Moreover, Karnataka BJP MPs also held a protest in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament in the national capital against the state government this morning.
Notably, seven accused have been arrested in the matter.
