Reacting sharply to the claims made by the police that no woman was paraded naked on Monday, Dalit activists stated that such claims show that the police and the government functionaries were trying to protect the 45-year-old victim's tormentors.
Reacting sharply to the claims made by the police that no woman was paraded naked on Monday, Dalit activists stated that such claims show that the police and the government functionaries were trying to protect the 45-year-old victim's tormentors.
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A delegation of activists that met Minister of State for Home Satej Patil in Karad yesterday urged him to issue orders to the police against making such insensitive statements. They demanded the couple be given police protection and the culprits be booked under relevant IPC sections.u00a0
Kiran Moghe, president, All India Democratic Women Association, said considering the rise in cases of atrocities against Dalits in the state since 2005, the latest issue should be addressed sensitively. Commenting on the issue, Patil said, "I have asked Satara SP M K Prasanna to look into the matter."
Dalit Mahasangh president Machindra Sakate said, "The police say they have recorded statements of distant relatives of the victim to prove that she was beaten but not stripped."u00a0Moghe said, "We demand speedy justice for the victim. Police booked just five people, but not those who were in the mob humiliating the victim."
Prasanna said, "In her statement to Karad police, the victim took only five names. If the victim is of the opinion that more people had attacked her, then she should file a supplementary statement and we will take appropriate action."
'Cop said no time for such disputes'
THE 45-year-old victim (name withheld to protect identity), who has severe bruises all over her body, narrated her ordeal to MiD DAY. "After this humiliation and assault, I rushed to Patan police station where one Constable Shinde was present. When I asked him to register my complaint he said he had no time to solve disputes between two neighbours and suggested I see a doctor instead," she said. The woman, who initially went to Patan government hospital, was asked to shift to a hospital in Karad as her injuries were of grievous nature. She said: "There were more than ten people who assaulted me, and it is a complete a lie on the part of the police if they say that they arrested five as I named them. The police have recorded the statement and included the suspects' name as per their wish."
Crimes against Sc
In the state, 1,132 u00a0offences were reported in 2010 compared to 1,096 in 2009, an increase of 3.28 per cent. Compared to the 2005 figure of 865, there is a significant increase of 30.87 per cent in 2010. Compared to 2009 (178), there is an increase of 7.87 per cent in violent crimes in 2010 (192).
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