The party conducted an investigation of its own and said that the police did nothing to give justice to the victim from the day of the crime (August 19) till August 22, when the accused filed for anticipatory bail.
The anticipatory bail hearing on Thursday at the Children’s Court was postponed to September 3 as the prosecution sought more time. This, the party suggested, along with the police silence on arresting the accused earlier, pointed to a possible cover up.
“There was school CCTV footage that could be crucial evidence to corroborate the statements of the victim and accused as regards their presence at particular times and locations in the school premises. PI Paresh Naik said that he had not received the school CCTV footage,” said AAP ad-hoc secretary Valmiki Naik.
He questioned the medical report claiming that it did in fact point to rape rubbishing media reports that said it was not rape as being misleading information. “AAP’s probe has revealed that the medical reports stated that ‘genital penetration cannot be ruled out’. How can anyone rule out rape when the report says so? If this isn’t rape, what is it then?” he said.
As a follow-up, the party has requested the police to provide police protection to the girl who lives with her mother and brothers. Additionally, they have also asked for the implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and continuous monitoring in places where they are most vulnerable including schools, juvenile homes and orphanages and shelters. They also questioned the action taken by the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
