PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday made a case for parents to morally police their teenage daughters and introspect on their outdoor activity at odd hours, especially hanging out on beaches in the night.
Referring to the gang rape reported at Benaulim earlier this week, Sawant called on parents of teenage girls to introspect what their children were doing the whole night on the beach.
“Ten children went for a party on the beach. Of the ten, six went back home. Four, including two boys and two girls, stayed the whole night on the beach. When a 14-year old girl stays the night on the beach, then the parents too have to think, they too should be taking care,” Sawant said replying to a calling attention motion citing ‘deteriorating law-and-order situation’ moved by Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao and others.
Colva police have arrested four youth including a driver of the Goa government’s agriculture department in the case who are currently in police custody.
“If 14 and 15-year-old girls spend the whole night on the beach then we too have to introspect. Parents are also responsible, you cannot say that they are not listening (and leave it at that),” Sawant said.
All responsibility cannot be pinned on the police force and added that on the contrary, the men-in-uniform should be commended for nabbing the culprits within hours of the crime being reported, he added.
“The prosecution will be expedited,” Sawant, who also holds the home portfolio, assured the House. The investigation of the case has since been handed over to the Crime Branch.
The two victim teenage girls had complained that they were gang-raped by four persons on the night of July 24 by four persons who later threatened them if they reported the matter.
The gang-rape was raised when the Calling Attention Motion on the “deteriorating law-and-order situation” in Benaulim constituency was taken up on Wednesday in which Alemao also alleged that an influential person was calling the police in a bid to protect the accused.
