The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TD poser on relief for Vakapalli victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TD poser on relief for Vakapalli victims

Special Correspondent

‘Government showers victims, families with assistance’

HYDERABAD: If the 11 tribal women in Vakapalli in Visakhapatnam district were not raped by policemen as contended by the Government so far, why did it extend relief and financial assistance for “suddi” (purification) to the families of the victims?

Mysterious

Perplexed Telugu Desam women MLAs posed this question at a press conference here on Tuesday after the Government tabled a reply in the Assembly, explaining how besides extending relief like rice, dal, oil and clothes, it has even sanctioned an amount of Rs. 20,000 to the village for performing their caste customs (suddi). Where was the need for “suddi” when there was no rape ? they wondered.

The legislators, Padala Aruna, L. Lalitha Kumari, P. Sujatha, A. Sridevi and A. Uma Madhava Reddy said since the Government had now rather unwittingly admitted that the hapless tribal women were indeed raped, it should take stringent action against the policemen who had perpetrated the crime and all those who tried to cover it up.

Reply quoted

Quoting from the reply, they said the Sub Collector had provided eight quintals of rice, eight kgs of dal, 240 litres of kerosene and 40 kgs of palmolein oil and 40 milk packets a few days after the incident.

Similarly, the project officer of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) distributed 50 kgs of rice, 25 kgs of dal, three kgs each of salt and condiments to the five children of the “alleged victims”. The project officer of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Paderu besides extending similar relief of rice, dal and oil supplied twVo sarees, two blouses and two petticoats to each of the 11 alleged victims.

Welfare measures

The ITDA project office has also proposed a series of “welfare measures” in Wakapalli village like separate community health worker, coffee and silver oak plantation, anganwadi centre, formation of roads to the village, supply of corrugated sheets for roofing, distribution of seeds and loans for purchasing goats, sheep and plough bullocks.

Could so many Government agencies pump in so much of relief within a week if there was no heinous crime ?

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