Police Probe Role Of ITDA Staff In Sexual Harassment Of Tribal Girls

ITDA Sexual Harassment: The West Godavari Police have ordered a probe for further investigation in the case of sexual harassment of tribal girls. The police have so far arrested five persons who are accused of the crime. Further investigation will probe the role of ITDA staff in the case.

Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer R.V. Suryanarayana is the prime accused in the sexual harassment case. The police have registered a case against him and are still making efforts to arrest Suryanarayana. He is accused of exploiting his powers by promising the tribal girls, jobs in ITDA and exploited them.

West Godavari Superintendent of Police K. Narayan Naik said in his statement that the ITDA Project Officer R.V. Suryanarayana allegedly misused his powers and conducted illegal activities in the ITDA Office and the government quarters in Kota Ramachandrapuram (K.R. Puram) village. He further added that the tribal girls were reportedly taken to the Project Officer's guest house.

Suryanarayana is reportedly accused of sexually harassing a female employee of the ITDA. He also allegedly got her transferred when she refused his sexual favours.

According to reports, there were different mediators who are accused of trapping the tribal girls. Suryanarayana allegedly paid money to the mediators for this and when he stopped giving them any more money, differences between them starting cropping up. Further, the police said that two of the accused videographer the statements of the tribals girls and uploaded them to their social media circles. These clips went viral after that.

The sexual harassment accused and the prime accused Suryanarayana are native to the West Godavari region's  Buttaigudem, Koyyalagudem and Jangareddygudem mandals. The police have arrested  K. Hemanthu Naga Venkata Pavan alias Ramana who is the sixth person accused of the sexual harassment of tribal girls. They were produced in front of the Jangareddygudem court on Wednesday, according to a police statement.