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PANJIM: Admitting that even though vital evidence has been destroyed, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar assured the House that the case was not weak and the main focus of the police was to nab the accused. He was updating the Assembly on the Vasco rape case investigations.
“Had the teachers and headmistress of the school been alert and sensitized, this incident would not have happened,” the chief minister who is also the home minister said, informing that the accused was seen in the school campus three times within half an hour and no action was taken.
“The case is leading to nowhere, except that there is a sketch and the victim girl is in a position to identify the person.”
Parrikar who seemed angered over the fact that the school headmistress had destroyed the vital clues by having the girl and her clothes washed, after the incident, said that the only clue in the hands of the police was the sketch of the accused.
Parrikar said that the girl was subjected to (forceful) sexual intercourse (rape) has been confirmed by the medical examination and that reports of swab samples sent to CFSL Hyderabad are awaited.
While several suggestions were made that security in schools should be tightened with security personnel and CCTVs, chief minister said there was no harm in all these measures. “But the need of the hour is for sensitization of the teaching community to such issues,” he reiterated.
Parrikar was replying to a Calling Attention Motion moved by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday. He said, “Had the teachers and headmistress of the school been alert, this incident would not have happened.”
Parrikar who is also the home minister said that the accused was seen in the school campus three times within half an hour and no action was taken. He continued to be annoyed over the fact that persons who should have been working at the primary section toilets (ayyas) were also not around. He said that in such cases even installing CCTVs would be useless if people engaged to do certain jobs were doing other personal work.
Parrikar also told the House that the headmistress had erred in destroying vital evidence and she would also be booked for this.
St Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh said that there had been delay in reporting the matter to police. He pointed out that 108 should have been summoned, the police informed, and Vasco should have been sealed to prevent the accused from escaping.
During the discussion in the House, Wagh, Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida and other ruling MLAs cautioned the opposition benches not to politicize the issue nor take political mileage from it.
Opposition leader Pratapsingh Rane voicing concerns over the growing cases of assault on school children, particularly girls, said that government and society should play a crucial role in nipping such heinous crimes. Parrikar however said that there were reported cases of rapes on girls committed by their fathers. “It is ultimately a societal issue,” he said adding that from schools to the society everyone needs to be sensitized.
Rane also said that when government gives grants to schools for computers they should also make arrangements to provide watchmen to keep an overall watch on the campus and prevent strangers from entering the premises. Earlier the chief minister turned down demands made that the investigations in the case should be made transparent.
