Karnataka: Demonstration Demands Death Penalty for Rapist of Minor Dalit Girl
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Kalaburagi, Dec 9 (NationPress) A demonstration was conducted in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi on Monday, advocating for capital punishment for the rapist involved in the sexual assault of an 11-year-old Dalit schoolgirl.
Organized by the Banjara Seva Sangha, various Hindu organizations, and several religious leaders, a massive crowd gathered at the Banjara Bhavan in the city. The rally made its way to the District Collector's office, where demonstrators vociferously demanded the death penalty for the accused.
During the rally, participants resorted to stone pelting, causing damage to vehicles and local businesses while insisting on capital punishment for the alleged rapist.
They also set fire to a photograph of the accused in front of the District Collector's office.
Addressing the crowd, Siddalinga Swamiji, who spearheaded the protest, criticized Kalaburagi's Dalit District In-Charge Minister and Minister of Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, IT & BT Priyank Kharge, for failing to prevent numerous sexual assault cases involving Dalit girls and women in the area.
Siddalinga lambasted the minister for his negligence in protecting the Dalit community.
He further accused Minister Kharge of being in a “deep sleep” akin to Kumbhakarna, stating that crimes against Hindu girls are perpetrated by “agents of Pakistan.”
The protesters also presented a memorandum to the District Collector. Former BJP MP Umesh Jadhav, former minister Baburao Chavan, Apparao Devimutya, along with numerous religious leaders and members of the Banjara community, actively participated in the demonstration.
The incident was reported from the limits of the Yadrami police station. The police have detained a private school teacher on charges of raping a schoolgirl. The situation has taken a communal twist as the accused teacher belongs to a minority community.
Initially, the girl experienced bleeding a few months earlier, which her parents attributed to puberty, allowing her to continue her education. It was later discovered that the bleeding was a result of rape.
The police reported that the teacher would keep the victim, a sixth-grade student, after regular classes under the pretense of offering extra help and improving her exam scores. He also intimidated the girl into silence regarding the repeated sexual assaults.
The teacher committed the act in the staff room after class hours on November 29. The girl confided in her close friends, who subsequently informed her parents.
