Congress Committee castigates Police, Govt. for gang rape

Bengaluru: A Fact-finding Committee constituted by the State Congress to study the issue of the recent gang rape near Chamundi Hill has blamed the State Government for its failure to deploy adequate number of Police and provide sufficient number of Police vehicles to maintain law and order in the city.

In its 31-page report to the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the Committee headed by former MP V.S. Ugrappa said that the Police were morally responsible for the gang rape and demanded Home Minister Araga Jnanendra’s resignation.

It also stated that frequent Police transfers, lack of coordination between the Police and other Departments and the diversion of Police personnel for VIP security worsened the law and order situation.

The Panel claimed that the administrative machinery in the district has collapsed owing to lack of coordination between District in-Charge Minister S.T. Somashekar, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha and BJP  Legislators.

During the Committee’s interaction with the public, the people alleged that the Police have been giving more priority to resolving cases related to real estate and civil matters and not much about law and order. “This has impacted the functioning of the IAS and IPS Officers in Mysuru,” the report said.

Among its recommendations, the Committee asked the Government to ensure that the case would come up for hearing in the next five months and to strengthen the Police force in a city that attracts lakhs of tourists.