Telangana BJP MLA booked for revealing gang-rape survivor's identity
The Hyderabad Police has registered a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA M Raghunandan Rao for releasing some photos and a video of the Jubilee Hills gang-rape survivor, the police said. Rao was accused of allegedly revealing the identity of the minor girl by sharing the photos and video clip. A case under Indian Penal Code Section 228A (disclosure of identity) was lodged.
Evidence against AIMIM MLA's son
At a press conference on Saturday, Rao claimed that the boy seen in the video he shared was the son of an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA. The clip also allegedly featured the 17-year-old girl who was gang-raped. However, the BJP legislator said the girl's face was not visible and the identity of the survivor cannot be made out from the clip.
What is the punishment under Section 228A?
Section 228A's subsection (1) states: "Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom an offense under section 376, section 376A, section 376B, section 376C, or section 376D is alleged or found to have been committed (the victim) shall be punished." The punishment may involve up to two years imprisonment and a fine.
Rao's action amounts to survivor's character assassination: Complainant
The case against MLA Rao was registered by Hyderabad's Abids Police after an advocate, Kommireddy Karam, reportedly lodged a complaint against him on Monday. Karam complained that the pictures and video released by the BJP MLA revealed the survivor's identity. "The action of the MLA also amounts to character assassination of the victim," he said.
MLA's son not involved: Police
On the other hand, the Hyderabad Police detained four of the five suspects, including several minors, in the alleged high-profile Jubilee Hills gang-rape case by Sunday. The fifth suspect, who is reportedly an adult, is yet to be apprehended. However, DCP (West Zone) Joel Davis has clarified that, as per the girl's statement and other evidence, no MLA's son was among the accused.
Girl's father filed complaint after noticing injury marks
According to the DCP, the girl's father said the 17-year-old went to a non-alcoholic party—reportedly hosted by her classmates—at a Jubilee Hills pub on May 28. After his daughter returned, he noticed minor injuries on her neck. Thereafter, a case was registered under Sections 354 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 9 read with 10 of the POCSO Act.
She befriended one of accused at pub
The Telangana Police said that the girl had befriended one of the boys at the pub. The CCTV footage also showed the girl standing outside the pub with the suspected accused, who had offered to drop her home. However, they parked the car in the Jubilee Hills area and reportedly took turns raping her while others stood guard outside the car.
