Hyderabad, August 01: Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy assured the House that the women police stations would be given full powers to register cases and a new law would be brought to check the acid attack menace.
She was replying to a question tabled by TD members Seetha Dayakar Reddy, A Uma Madhava Reddy, H Hemalatha, T Vanitha and D Anasuya.
The TD members quest ioned the Government whether it was true that crimes against women were on the rise, and sought details of the incidents and the steps taken to curb it.
TDP member Seetha Dayakar Reddy alleged that the crime rate was very high this year compared to last yeara and lamented that no justice was done in women police stations.
Another TD member Annapurnamma said that women lack protection and a 66- year-women in her constituency was robbed and murdered.
She wanted to know what happened to the case on Andhra Cricket Association leader Chamundeswarinath.
With this the women ministers got up from their chairs and objected to the comments of Annapurnamma and they were supported by all the Congress women MLAs. Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy intervened and calmed down the members.
Later, speaking on behalf of the Government, Women and Child Welfare Minister Konda Surekha stated that it was not proper for the TDP to attribute motives to the Chief Minister and said that he made a woman Home Minister for the first time in the country.
Congress MLA Jayasudha Kapur, who made her maiden speech in the House, stated that there were only five women stations in the City and wanted only women to be posted in them. She said that TV programmes were also responsible for the current situation. Replying to the debate, Sabita Reddy stated that about 9 acid attacks took place in 2008 whereas 12 such atacks took place this year so far.
She said that the Chief Minister in a recent meeting had directed that the punishment in the acid attack cases should be on par with homicide – 10 years imprisonment and no bail should be given to the culprits.
Sabita Reddy said that she had directed all the commissioners and SPs to assist the women victims. A toll free number 1091 was opened and all the women police stations would be given full powers and online complaint facility would be provided, she explained.
–Agencies–