Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party has asked Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to immediately provide protection to the minor girl, who was allegedly purchased and raped by MLA Atanasio Monserratte, and transfer of the case to a court-monitored special investigation team.
"AAP demands immediate protection and counselling of the complainant and you (Parsekar), as home minister, personally ensure that no communication or contact of any kind is allowed between the complainant, a minor, and the accused, who is a powerful politician," party's Goa unit convenor, Rajashree Nagarcekar, said in a letter to the chief minister.
Expressing shock over the incident, the party also demanded that investigation into the case be transferred to an independent court-monitored special investigation team, it said.
The party "feared" Monserrate, the St Cruz MLA, being a "powerful and influential" politician, is likely to pressurise" both the complainant and police to "suppress and settle" the matter, the letter said.
AAP also sought to know what steps are being taken by the Goa state Women's Commission and Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in the matter.
"The party demands that the two Commissions take suo-moto cognisance of the incident and monitor the probe which will be vulnerable to political pressure," it said.
"AAP would like to point to you that, as the accused is a public servant, the alleged crime is to be viewed as 'aggravated sexual assault' as per the POCSO Act, 2012 with a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and maximum term of life imprisonment," Nagarcekar said.
The expelled Congress legislator was on Thursday arrested for allegedly raping the girl after "buying" her from her mother for Rs 50 lakh. The victim's mother was also arrested on Thursday on the charge of human trafficking.
According to the victim's complaint, her mother and another woman hatched a conspiracy and sold her for Rs 50 lakh to Monserratte in March this year for sexual exploitation.
