Villupuram: A Dalit woman and her teenage daughter are battling for life at the ICU in Jipmer hospital in Puducherry following brutal attack by an armed gang in a pre-dawn attack on February 22 at Vellamputhur near here. Amid allegations that both the women were sexually assaulted in the ghastly incident that came to light only Monday, police said medical tests were being conducted.
A senior district police official said the gang entered the house, when the woman was sleeping with her 12-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter. While they killed the boy, mother and daughter sustained head injuries in the attack, he said, refusing to elaborate on the rape charges. He said the motive behind the attack was being probed and six police teams have been formed to track down the attackers.
Neighbours found the two bleeding women unconscious and rushed them to the local hospital from where they were shifted to Jipmer. Doctors at Jipmer said the two were still unconscious in the ICU and they “are not out of danger”. Political parties demanded stern action against the culprits, while alleging that the girl and her mother were raped. They said the Dalit family was targeted over a land dispute. PMK leader and Dharmapuri MP Anbumani Ramadoss demanded that the culprits be brought to justice at the earliest and given the maximum punishment for the offence.
