BJP stages protest over 'cover-up' in Hyderabad gang rape

Tension prevailed at Jubilee Hills police station on Friday as BJP workers staged a protest demanding the arrest of the accused involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl by a group of teenagers.

Workers of BJP and BJYM staged a sit-in at the police station, raising slogans demanding the arrest of the accused said to be belonging to politically influential families. Some of the protesters including women barged into police station premises but were stopped and detained by the police.

Alleging that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is trying to shield the culprits, they demanded the resignation of Home Minister Mehmood Ali.

Also Read | Minor girl gang-raped in car in Hyderabad, accused belong to 'influential families'

BJP leader Chintala Ramachandra Reddy alleged that since the accused belong to families of MIM and TRS leaders, the TRS government is not taking action.

"Though the crime was committed six days ago, the police have not arrested anybody under the pressure of MIM," he said.

The victim had gone to a pub for a party and after promising to drop her home, the accused sexually assaulted her in a Mercedes car.

The shocking incident came to light on Friday. Police reportedly detained two suspects and were questioning them.

The girl was raped in a luxury car in posh Jubilee Hills on May 28 by 3-5 accused.

Police said since all suspects are minors they are proceeding as per rules. A police official told reporters outside Jubilee Hills police station that the investigations were on.

Meanwhile, minister for industry and information technology K. T. Rama Rao has expressed shock over the rape incident.

He requested the home minister, Director General of Police Mahender Reddy and the Police Commissioner to take immediate and stern action. "Please don't spare anyone involved irrespective of their statuses or affiliations," tweeted Minister KTR

BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao alleged that the accused were part of a bachelors' party organised at the pub ahead of the marriage of the home minister's grandson.

He alleged that as per the information he received, the sons of a MIM MLA and Wakf Board chairman were involved in the incident.

Rao said the Mercedes car belonged to the sister of MIM MLA. He wanted the police to make CCTV footage public.

The minor girl had gone to a pub along with a friend. As her friend had left early, she befriended a boy during the party. He along with his friends promised to drop her home. About eight boys along with the girl left the pub in two cars.

They stopped at a pastry shop enroute and later parked the car in Jubilee Hills, where 3-to 5 boys sexually assaulted her in a car. They later dropped her back at the pub.

The incident came to light when the girl's father noticed injuries on her neck and enquired about it. She told him that some boys attacked her after a party at a pub.

On the complaint by the victim's father, police on June 1 registered a case under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and took up an investigation. It was initially treated as a case of outraging modesty but after recording the statement of the victim police altered the section to 376 of IPC.

Police have constituted four teams to arrest the accused. The teams are also searching for them in other states.

A police officer said they were looking for the accused based on the statement of the victim. The police were also scanning CCTV footage and gathering other technical evidence.