Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)
Kundapur, Jul 25: Several groups, organizations and villagers held a strong protest in front of Yedamoge panchayat on Friday July 24 urging immediate arrest of Yedamoge gram panchayat vice-president Balachandra Kulal who has been accused of attempting to rape a girl after offering a lift in his car.
Balachandra reportedly offered a lift to a girl who was returning home after obtaining TC from Shankernarayana College on Tuesday, July 21, and allegedly tried to rape her in the car. The protests were held as the accused had not been arrested even after three days of the incident.
"Balachandra who holds the responsible position of gram panchayat vice-president is supposed to pay attention to the basic needs of Yedamoge including good roads. He should not have indulged in such a shameful act. Such a person is not fit to remain in the panchayat. The accused has not been arrested even after three days due to outside pressure or some other reason. Would the police department have kept quiet if an ordinary person had committed this crime?" they asked.
"If this attitude continues, families will be afraid to send their daughters out. We are giving an ultimatum of two more days. If he is not arrested by then, massive protests will be held at the village, district and state levels. The office of the deputy commissioner and taluk office will also be gheraeod," warned Karnataka labour forum Udupi district president Ravi Shetty.
"The behaviour of the gram panchayat vice-president is shameless and is a blemish for the entire village. The situation is such that women and school girls are scared to walk alone in the Yedamoge village. It has become difficult for the local people to go to the gram panchayat which is supposed to provide basic infrastructure. The accused should be sacked immediately and legal action should be taken against him," urged the locals.
Udupi zilla panchayat vice-president Prakash Mendon, taluk panchayat president Bhaskar Billava, taluk panchayat member Hemalatha Poojary, Byndoor BJP president B M Sukumar Shetty, leaders Deepakumar Shetty and villagers demanded the arrest of Balachandra. Protesters also burned the effigy of the accused and expressed their anguish.
The panchayat system was recently introduced in the Yedamoge region. Out of six members in the panchayat, the accused is backed by Congress.