Visakhapatnam: The special judge for SC and ST cases on Thursday acquitted all the 13 Greyhound personnel accused in the gang-rape of 11 tribal women in Vakapalli in G Madugula mandal of ASR district in 2007.
The case was filed under Section 376 (2) (g) of IPC and Section 3(2) (v) of SC, ST (prevention of atrocities) Act of 1989. The accused were acquitted under section 235(1) Cr PC.
The judge ordered that a police officer who investigated the case, M. Sivananda Reddy, be referred to an apex committee to be constituted by the state government, and action must be taken against him for his failure to conduct a proper probe.
Action could not be initiated against another investigating officer, B. Ananda Rao, as he was no more.
Awarding compensation to the victims, the judge asked the district legal services authority to decide the quantum of compensation after a due inquiry and pay the money as damages due to their victimisation by way of sexual assault and other crimes since 2007.
Notably, eleven tribal women belonging to Vakapalli village under Nurmati Panchayat of G Madugula mandal in Vizag Agency had complained that a special branch of the police descended on their village and raped them. The incident took place 15 years ago, in August 2007). Two of the 11 victims died a couple of years ago due to ill-health.
However, eight of the policemen were given a clean chit, and the remaining 13 cops were implicated.
Chief of special intelligence branch Srikanth was the officer on special duty (OSD-Narsipatnam), at the time of the incident. It was he who briefed the special police team that went for combining operations in the villages of G Madugula, Vakapalli etc, who had allegedly committed the rape on 11 tribal women. The special court examined 36 witnesses during the trial.
