Visakhapatnam: The Vakapalli gang rape victims are still awaiting justice 10 years after the incident. As many as 11 women of a primitive tribal group were allegedly gang raped by 21 Greyhound policemen at Vakapalli in G. Madugula mandal of Vizag Agency on August 20, 2007.
The police personnel were conducting combing operations. A case against them is pending before the Supreme Court. The local police and functionaries of the government denied the rape charges.
Human rights, women’s and people’s organisations demanded the government order a CBI probe into the incident. A petition to the effect was filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in November 2007. The High Court directed the Andhra Pradesh Government to order a CID investigation.
The CID probed the matter superficially and stated that there were too many contradictions in the statements by the victims and those recorded before the Judge.
CID officials, in their report, mentioned that the size of the bangles picked up at the crime scene did not match the size of the bangles worn by the alleged victims. They said that the case was unsupported by medical evidence.
Except for a few minor injuries, the women appeared unharmed. Their clothes did not bear any semen stains as the women had washed themselves and their garments after the incident.
No identification parade was produced before the victims at that stage of the investigation. However, the women’s statements unequivocally pointed to the commission of rape.
A protest petition was filed against the CID report.
A junior first class Magistrate at Paderu believed the tribal women and rejected the final report filed by the investigating officer. He took cognizance of the case under Section 190 (1)(b) of the CrPC.
The Magistrate observed that rape could have been committed without leaving behind physical injuries or semen stains and that even if it had not been committed, it could have been attempted, which is an offence under Sections 511 and 354.
Within a week of the Magistrate taking cognizance, the accused policemen filed a petitioned before the AP High Court for the quashing of proceedings. They obtained a stay order in 2008.
Four years later, in April 2012, the quash petition came up for hearing. Much to the relief and surprise of the petitioners, the single judge adopted a strict stance keeping in mind the enormity of the crime and ordered the commencement of the trial against 13 policemen. He allowed for the charges against eight policemen who had been part of a contour party outside the village to be quashed.
The judge confirmed the cognizance taken by the Magistrate and found there to be no procedural irregularity or lack of application of mind. On August 31, 2012, the 13 policemen filed a petition before the SC.
