Andhra CM holds public awareness rally after Guntur rape

In the wake of Guntur incident where a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 60-year-old man, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday held Praja Chaitanya Yatra (public awareness rally) and addressed a public meeting in Vijayawada.

The rally and meeting which was conducted on Monday were aimed at creating awareness among people against sexual assaults on girls.

The girl was raped in Dachepalli village in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district.

Condemning the incident, Naidu said "Dachepalle incident where a minor girl was raped is very painful. Once the incident came to my notice, I gave clear instructions to the police to deploy full force and catch the culprit immediately".

He further called upon the people to take harsh action against such culprits and said,

"Public should act mercilessly against such culprits. Women should spit on their faces. Such culprits are animals in the form of men, they should not be spared."

The Chief Minister further assured to form a committee with members from women and children welfare, Transport, Panchayat Raj departments; MEPMA and DWCRA groups and NGOs to tackle such incidents.

Naidu further noted that he had removed communal violence suppressed faction violence in the state.

"I had eradicated rowdyism though there was harm for my life. Now I will strictly act against those who commit such heinous crimes," he added.

"Only some of the rape incidents come to light. Everyone should take responsibility. And show solidarity. The situation should be so that anybody should be afraid of doing such heinous crimes," Naidu further asserted.