Members of the Karpuri Thakur Samudaya took out a protest here on Saturday demanding death sentence for the youth accused of raping a minor in a village in Belagavi taluk recently.
Protesters gathered outside the Deputy commissioner’s office and shouted slogans.
They demanded that the Police Commissioner Lokesh Kumar meet them at the venue and receive their memorandum.
When Mr. Kumar arrived, they demanded that the police conduct investigation efficiently and submit all necessary evidence to the court in time to ensure that the accused was hanged in a month.
Mr. Kumar said he would instruct the team to work towards this.
“The girl belonged to the Savita Samaj community. Her family is poor and helpless. That is why we have come here to express solidarity with the victim’s family,” said Karnataka Savita Samaj president H.D. Vaidya.
“The father of the accused is a powerful man. He has been a member of the gram panchayat twice. He has tried to destroy evidence by stealing documents from the district hospital already. He has to be arrested and tried,” Mr. Vaidya alleged.
Meanwhile, Minister for Women and Child Development Shashikala Jolle visited the victim’s family and promised all support from the government.
“She promised the parents that the police would conduct a proper investigation within the stipulated time.”