Telangana Governor orders Chief Secy, DGP to submit report on disrobing of woman in public

Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to take action against the culprits in the incident of a drunk man who had allegedly stripped a woman in public, and to submit a detailed report on it immediately.

The Governor was distressed over the incident, according to a Raj Bhavan press release. Meanwhile, the Telangana State Commission for Women took serious note of the indecent act and assured that it would work to ensure the accused gets severe punishment. The Commission's Chairperson V Sunitha Laxma Reddy said the panel would stand by the victim. The accused (in his 30s), a labourer, was arrested for allegedly stripping the 28-year-old woman on a road on August 6 night following an altercation, police said.

As per the directives of Reddy, a Commission member and its investigation officer met the victim at her residence, the panel said in a release. The Chairperson, who spoke to the victim on phone, expressed anguish over the incident and assured her that the women's commission and the state government would stand by her. Reddy asked the 'Sakhi - One Stop Centres' (set up to help women in distress) to provide necessary medical help to the victim. The Chairperson asserted that the Commission would make efforts to ensure that the accused gets severe punishment. Observing that the police responded immediately in the aftermath of the incident, she asked the police department to conduct a thorough inquiry and submit a report.

She expressed anguish that the mother of the accused, who was present at the spot, did not try to stop her son. Reddy also expressed surprise that those present at the scene also did not come help out and remained mute spectators, the release said. The woman, a private sector employee, in a complaint to the police said that when she was proceeding to her house and crossing a road, the accused, who was inebriated, touched her "inappropriately" after which she slapped him but the man assaulted her. In the meanwhile, the mother of the accused also argued with her for slapping her son instead of questioning him for touching her, the complainant said. However, the accused claimed that the woman pulled his mother's saree, a police official said.

Following this, the man allegedly disrobed the woman. After receiving information about the incident, a police team reached the spot and rescued the woman and shifted her to a hospital. Subsequently, the accused was arrested. Around 10-15 passersby allegedly did not come forward to save the woman when the accused indulged in this act. They were accused of taking photos and videos of the incident on their phones, the official said. However, later, some local residents covered the woman with a cloth and informed the police. Based on the complaint of the woman, a case was registered at Jawahar Nagar police station against the man and his mother. The man was arrested on Monday and his mother was also apprehended later.