AP: 8 men rape two tribal girls who refuse compensation and file complaint

Two girls from the tribal community in Andhra Pradesh were reportedly raped by eight men in the Visakhapatnam district. But instead of handing over the accused to the hands of the law, the village elders are trying to hush up the issue by demanding Rs 50,000 from the accused.

After the gang rape incident had come to light, the village elders had a meeting and decided not to take the matter to the police. They tried to make a demand of Rs 50,000 and leave rape accused without any punishment.

The eight accused include a son of block elected representative and a head constable. The rest six are their friends and are currently absconding, said the police.

The two girls were abducted from a jathra which is the local fair held in the village. Many stalls are set up, and there is a huge crowd attending the fair. The girls were said to have been accompanied by their two male friends.

When they were going around shops, it started raining heavily, and the four friends took shelter in front of a shop, which was closed. The accused too reached out to the same shop to take shelter in the rain. Seeing the two girls, the eight men threatened the two male friends of the girls and chased them away. The men caught hold of the girls and raped them one after the other.

When the accused had left, the girls managed to reach the village and informed their parents about what had happened. The issue spread in the village, and the elders instead of filing a police complaint decided to find a solution themselves.

Accordingly, the elders in the village summoned the youths to the meet and asked them to pay Rs 50,000. Angered by this the victims protested and refused to agree to the compromise. The girls forced their parents to file a police case against the accused.

Thus heeding to the pressure from the daughters, parents have filed a case with the Chintapalli Mandal police. The accused have been booked for rape and committing atrocities on the tribals. Police in Chintapalli Mandal registered cases against the accused for rape and for committing atrocities on tribals.

Police have sent the girls for medical examination and formed special teams to nab the accused who are absconding.