YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday alleged that the ruling Telugu Desam Party had turned into the “Telugu Dushasana Party,” claiming that there was no guarantee for the safety and dignity of women under the present government.
Referring to the horrific incident in Guntur city, where a woman was allegedly stripped and assaulted by a TDP leader, Jagan said the incident was not only a stain on humanity but also a shocking reflection of the complete collapse of law and order in the state.
“The Chandrababu Naidu government should hang its head in shame over this incident. What is even more disturbing is that although the incident took place on Wednesday, it was allegedly kept under wraps for nearly three days,” he said.
Jagan alleged that the government began projecting itself as taking swift action only after videos of the assault surfaced on social media and triggered widespread public outrage.
He said the attempt to claim credit for taking action after allegedly trying to suppress the incident was deeply shameful.
Jagan argued that the horrific crime could have been prevented if the police had acted promptly when the victim first approached them and lodged a complaint following the initial assault on Wednesday.
“If the complaint had been registered without delay, the accused had been taken into custody and the victim had been provided protection, this brutal incident would not have escalated to such an extent,” he said.
He questioned why the authorities remained silent instead of standing by the victim.
“What is the purpose of police stations if not to protect victims and uphold the law? Are they meant to deliver justice or merely carry out the wishes of those in the ruling party?” he asked.
Jagan alleged that there had been an attempt to settle the matter instead of taking legal action. He questioned why the law came into action only after the videos went viral.
“Does a victim’s complaint have no value unless public outrage forces the authorities to act? Failing to respond while the crime was unfolding and then staging a show of action only after public anger erupted cannot be called policing,” he said.
Addressing Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan asked, “Is this the women’s safety your government claims to provide? Is this your model of good governance? Is this what you call policing?”
He warned that the growing anger among women across the state would ultimately hold the government accountable.
