Homestay attack: Women's panel chief defends her report

Mysore, August 26: Karnataka State Women's Commission Chairperson C. Manjula on Saturday stood by her report on the Mangalore “homestay” attack but said she welcomed criticism of her report on the attack on young boys and girls.

“Whatever I saw during my visit to Mangalore following the attack has been documented in the report,” she said when her reaction was sought to the “shock” expressed by women activists and various organisations over the contents of her “controversial” report.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Ms. Manjula maintained that the local police arrested more accused in the attack case only after she intervened. “The police had initially arrested some culprits. But, after I went there to collect facts and stayed there on August 1 and 2, more arrests were made,” she claimed. She said she had raised the failure of the police and the need for self-regulation by the media in her report.

However, Ms Manjula did not give convincing reply when asked why her report tried to find fault with the victims and bring their families into picture. The criticism to her report could be “politically motivated”, she alleged.

Referring to the case of a girl who was thrown out of a moving train near Maddur, she said the Department of Women and Child Development had taken the responsibility of rehabilitating the girl. Steps had been taken to get her a job and talks are on at the government level, she said.

She said 10 to 15 per cent of missing girls remained untraced every year and it was a matter of serious concern that the number of girls going missing in the State had risen.

In a note issued during the press conference, Ms. Manjula, members V. Maithili and Gayathri Devi condemned the reported statements by Sabeeha Bhoomigowda, lecturer in Mangalore University, Gurudutt Kamath and Vijay that the commission members did not visit the victims of the “homestay” attack although they visited them.

They said the National Women's Commission member Shamina Safiq visited Mangalore 20 days after the attack.She must have visited the place and inquired about the incident immediately after the incident. Why did the NHRC member not visit Mandya to meet the girl who was thrown out of a train, they asked.