Warangal: Students, leaders stage protest over growing crimes against women

Warangal: The city on Saturday witnessed a series of demonstrations from various student unions and political parties in protest against the rape and murder of Priyanka and Manasa that shook the State in last three days.

In a symbolic protest demanding death penalty to the culprits, the students led by ABVP who staged a protest at Bheemaram, near Kakatiya University, hanged the effigy of the culprits before burning it.

The government should take the moral responsibility for crime against women, the ABVP leaders said, stating that whatever initiatives taken by the police for the safety of women have not provided any results.

Referring to the encounter of a student S Srinivasa Rao who attacked Swapnika of KITS College by pouring acid on her in 2008, the leaders demanded similar fate to the rape offenders, an instant justice. ABVP State Secretary Ambala Kiran and Warangal Convenor Kolluri Jayasri said that initiatives taken by the police to curb crimes against women are only for name sake. She demanded stringent punishment to the wrongdoers without any delay.

State working committee member Punnam Venu, Warangal secretary E Bharath Veer, zonal incharges hatrapati Shivaji, Dinesh, Sai Charan, Sai Chand, Tarun, Bhagat and Nikhil were among others present. In another protest jointly staged by the KSF, ABSF, BSF and Women's JAC student unions at the KU first gate, the leaders demanded the government to go tough on culprits so that such incidents never repeat.

Manda Bhaskar (KSF), Manda Naresh (ABSF), K Prashanth (BSF), Velpula Bhavitha, Navya, Kalpana, Nagula Madhavi, Pushpalatha, B Shwetha, M Pujitha, K Dhanuja and P Surekha (Women's JAC of the KU) were among others present. Meanwhile, the Congress leaders took out a candle rally in the evening.

They demanded the government to focus on crime against women. DCC president N Rajender Reddy, senior leaders Katla Srinivas Rao, B Srinivas Rao and E V Srinivas Rao were among others present.