Telangana: Bring stringent laws to deal with sexual predators, says Disha's father

HYDERABAD: Two years after his daughter was raped and set ablaze, her 61-year-old father said they still live in fear and are awaiting compensation, even as he wants the Telangana government to bring stringent laws to protect young girls from sexual attack.
On the night of November 27, 2019, a 26-year-old veterinary doctor was killed on the outskirts of Hyderabad.Later four men were arrested and subsequently killed in an alleged encounter with the police on December 6.
The killing has led to a Supreme court-appointed judicial probe into the encounter, but for the victim's family, nothing has changed.
Talking about the gruesome rape and murder, Disha's father told TOI, "Whenever such incidents happen, the judicial system should ensure that culprits are punished at most in a month," he said, and added that unless reforms are brought in the judicial system, victims and their families will not get justice.
Life has become a living hell, after her loss: Disha's father
Disha's father said,"After losing my elder daughter, we stopped going out completely. Life has become a living hell."
"We are always worried about the safety of our younger daughter," he said.
He said that the family did not receive any kind of compensation from anyone and added that a few people tried to earn money by maligning his daughter' and family's name. "My younger daughter is a central government employee. All we wanted from the state is a government job for her in the same cadre under the state government. But, even that did not materialise," he said.
The aggrieved father said that the state and the police officials should try to educate girls, especially in schools and colleges, and ensure that they know whom to contact and how to defend themselves when they are in distress.
"Why can't police organise awareness programmes in schools and colleges for girls. Teach them how to protect themselves, how to survive in any situation. Even if five out of 10 girls get benefitted and are saved because of these programmes, what more do we need," he asked.
Disha's father said that while neighbouring Andhra Pradesh government has introduced Disha Act, nothing much has been done in Telangana to improve women's safety. "After the incident happened, a few people visited us, but no one stood by us. It was our family who has been dealing with the ordeal all alone," he said.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)