Tollywood actor Manchu Manoj extended his support to the family of a six-year-old child who was raped and murdered in Saidabad area of Hyderabad. Manoj on Tuesday visited the family in the locality, where they have been protesting to seek justice for the victim. He expressed solidarity with the bereaved family. Civil society and youth associations have also been backing the protests by staging sit-ins with the family members.
Speaking with the media later, Manoj expressed his anguish and demand for justice for the family. “We can't even call what happened to that child an injustice, but a brutality. I did not know what to say to her parents. I felt helpless as her mother was crying. We all should take responsibility for creating such an inhuman world. It is our duty to constantly educate on how to respect women and children."
He urged the government and police to nab the accused quickly, and asked the media and social media to assist in the search for the accused and hand him over to the police. Expressing his displeasure over the media coverage of the incident, Manoj said, "On television, the media is showing visuals of how Sai Dharam Tej fell from his bike by adding 3D visuals, but they are not showing this. When will you sensitize and highlight these kinds of issues?”
Manoj, while apologising to the parents for the injustice they have experienced, he assured that he would assist the family in whatever help they require in the future.
The incident took place on Thursday, September 9, but the accused is still at large. The 6-year-old victim belongs to a tribal (Lambada) family, which migrated from the Nalgonda district of Telangana. Her father is said to be an auto driver.
As per police, a 30-year-old man who is their neighbour, identified as Raju, had befriended the child before allegedly committing the offence in his house. The girl was found dead in his house hours after she went missing.
A murder and rape case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012
The delay in arrest of the accused has drawn flak from many quarters, as five days have passed since the cindient. As many as nine special teams are carrying out the search operations for the accused.
Opposition parties, which have visited the family, have alleged the police inaction in the case. On Monday, Congress Telangana unit president and MP Revanth Reddy, MLA Seethakka and cop-turned-politician Dr RS Praveen Kumar met the family and extended their support.