Hyderabad gang-rape case; case registered against BJP MLA for releasing picture of the victim

TELANGANA: A case has been registered against a BJP MLA for releasing a picture of victim in the Hyderabad gang-rape case. Telangana police have registered a case against BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao from Dubbaka constituency under Section 228A of the IPC for releasing pictures of a raped girl. Raghunandan Rao released CCTV footage in which the minor girl was seen leaving the hotel and sitting with the MLA's son inside the car.

Raghunandan revealed the victim's face in front of the media at a press conference held at the BJP headquarters in Telangana last week. The video was released on the grounds that it was evidence that the son of an AIMIM MLA was involved in the case. The press conference alleged that the police were trying to save the MLA's son. The video was widely circulated on social media as the press conference was telecast live on all channels. Police arrested two YouTubers for circulating the video. Raghunandan Rao was widely criticized for this. Women's organizations have also criticized him for releasing the images of the victim for political gain, without even protecting the victim's privacy.

Meanwhile, widespread protests continue in Telangana accusing that the case against the children of high-profile people will be subverted if investigated by the local police and demanded a CBI enquiry.