TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: The sexual assault of seven year old girl at the school premises in Vasco has raised worries over the safety of children in schools, the Congress party said Tuesday, demanding immediate setting up of fast-track courts in Goa, to deal exclusively with rape offences.
Claiming that State government has completely failed in maintaining law and order, the Congress held Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the State administration responsible for the incident.
The opposition party has strongly demanded that chief minister should call off his Jan Samparak Abhiyan, which kicked off Tuesday, as a mark of protest.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesman Alexio Reginaldo Lourenco condemned the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the culprit. Lourenco said that all schools in Goa should install CCTV cameras thereby increasing the security.
“We demand that government should immediately initiate steps to provide security at schools and safety for the girl child. Installation of cameras in school premises should be made mandatory,” Reginaldo said.
The Cortalim MLA said that the incident is a wake –up-call for the government, which needs to adopt some stringent measures to punish the culprit and one such measure, should be setting up of fast track courts in the State. “All the rape cases should be transferred to fast track courts and whatever infrastructure is required for the purpose, including appointments of judges, should be done within next three months,” he stated.
The Congress spokesman has also urged government to come up with legislation which increases the punishment for rape and other crime against women. Lourenco assured that Congress would provide its full support in passing such legislation. Pointing to the alarming increase in number of crimes against women last year, Lourenco said “this shows total inaction and failure of home ministry and Chief Minister, in controlling the law and order situation in the State.”
