In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly abducted by three men in front of her family and gangraped at Repalla Railway Station in Bapatla district, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday night, 30 April.
The three accused, including a juvenile, have been arrested by the police and a case has been lodged against them under Sections 376D (gangrape), 307 (attempt to murder), and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code, said a report by The New Indian Express.
The survivor was waiting at the station to board an overnight train with her three children and husband, who was also beaten up badly by the perpetrators.
The husband complained to the police about his unsuccessful attempt to get help from someone at the train station, alleging that there was no official present at the time.
The woman has been shifted to a hospital for medical examination and treatment, reported NDTV.
What Happened?
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, as the family was travelling from Guntur to the Krishna district.
According to The News Minute, when the family was sleeping on the platform benches while waiting for their train, three men who were reportedly drunk woke them up to ask the time. When the husband said he didn't have a watch, he was allegedly assaulted. When the woman protested, she was allegedly dragged towards the bushes and sexually assaulted.
As per a report by TNM, two of the assaulters have been identified as Paluboyina Vijaykrishna, 20, and Paluchuri Nikhil, 25, while the third, a minor, has been proven guilty in theft cases before.
The husband, who struggled to reach the Repalle police station, alerted officials about the incident and they found the rape survivor near the bushes upon investigation.
The perpetrators were caught in Netaji Nagar, Repalle, by a special team led by the town's DSP and CI teams.
"Police pressed sniffer dogs into service and tracked the location where one of the accused had changed his shirt. All three were arrested by 1 pm on Sunday," an officer told TNIE.
The incident occurred at a time when the Andhra Pradesh government has been working towards women's safety under the Disha scheme, comprising a Disha Act, Disha police stations, and a mobile application dedicated to helping women. Vehicles were provided to Disha police for patrolling.
"The government is also discussing with the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh to set up special courts for fast-tracking cases under the Disha Act," Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had said, reported TNIE.
Andhra Minister's 'Mothers' Responsibility' Remark
The rape incident also led to Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Taneti Vanitha's remarks surfacing online a day after her commenting on how it was the "mother's responsibility to protect her child against sexual crimes."
Without fulfilling a mother's role, one should not blame the police or government, the home minister asserted.
"As a mother, we need to fulfil our responsibilities towards our children properly. While protecting our children, if there's any problem to us or our kids, we can approach police stations," she had said.
The remark sparked controversy as the Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Mahila president shared a portion of the speech, accusing, "Notices are being served to those who stood up for stopping atrocities against women. Today mothers are being blamed. Tomorrow will they say that mothers are the ones causing these incidents?"
The minister's video went viral with the hashtag #APUnsafeforWomen.
(With inputs from NDTV, TNM, and TNIE.)
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