Andhra minor rape survivors stop attending school, refuse govt aid

Two minor girls in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, have stopped attending school and their families have declined government assistance following an alleged sexual assault last month, officials said.

The Class VIII students had left their school hostel on the outskirts of Machilipatnam on the night of August 6. After reaching Koneru Centre in the town, one of the girls borrowed a passer-by's mobile phone to call her parents, asking them to send ₹100.

Concerned about how the girl had left the hostel at night, the parents alerted the school principal, who filed a missing persons complaint with the police.

According to Superintendent of Police V. Vidyasagar Naidu, autorickshaw driver M. Vamshi Kiran and his friend K. Siddhu offered to drop the girls home but instead drove towards Rudravaram village near Machilipatnam. The girls were allegedly raped in an under-construction building there.

The Bandar Taluka police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Both suspects have been arrested.

However, the victims and their families have reportedly refused financial and legal aid from the government. A Women Development and Child Welfare department staff member said the offer was turned down. A Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member added that the families submitted written letters rejecting assistance and declining to cooperate with the inquiry.

Officials said the girls have stopped going to school and are not responding to calls from authorities. Pendem Rajya Lakshmi, secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Bar Federation's Human Rights cell, urged the district administration to provide legal aid and counselling, and to take steps to ensure the minors resume their education.

Krishna District Collector D.K. Balaji said officials will meet the families to ensure the girls continue their studies and receive necessary protection.