Govt for fast-track trial of suspects

The State government would demand fast-track trial of those who gangraped a medical student of Manipal University last week, Home Minister K J George said here on Sunday even as police detained four people for questioning.

An appeal in this regard would be made to the Chief Justice of Karnataka so that the case is disposed of fast and the offenders get punished, George told reporters at the office of the superintendent of police after meeting the victim and her mother.

The victim, George added, was stable and recovering. “She seems to be a brave girl who had resisted the monsters to the hilt,” he said, adding that the government and the people of Karnataka were fully behind her. She would come out of the tragedy courageously, he added. The Home Minister further said that the victim’s privacy should be respected. “It’s not her crime. We are at fault,” he said.

George claimed the police had achieved some success in the investigation. The matter was being probed “intensely” by eight teams formed specially for the purpose and the offenders would be tracked down soon.

“It’s a shameful act that should be condemned strongly. The chief minister wants the offenders punished. Police will investigate the matter in an impartial manner and will not succumb to any pressure,” George said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah briefed the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shashi Tharoor, about the matter and assured him that justice would be done to the victim.

The Home minister reacted sharply to the remarks by Dakshina Kannada MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, that the drug mafia had free rein in the State. He said that the Congress government had taken charge recently and it was the BJP which ruled the State for the last five years. “We need some time to resolve these issues and bring the law and order back on track,” he maintained.

George also mentioned that the police had been given full liberty and the government would not interfere in their day-to-day affairs the way the previous government did. He asked the police force to be extra vigilant to check anti-social activities.

Police personnel would not be spared if they were involved in illegal activities, he warned.

Four detained

Meanwhile, four persons were detained for questioning. Of the eight teams formed to investigate the case, about three were exclusively tasked with interrogating auto drivers, Superintendent of Police M B Boralingaiah said.

Around 3,000 autorickshaw drivers are being questioned and talks were also held with the representatives of the autorickshaw drivers’ union, he added.

The Inspector General of Police (Western Range), Prathap Reddy C H, confirmed that four people, including some autorickshaw drivers, had been detained.