YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that there was a sharp rise in crimes against women in Andhra Pradesh since the TDP-led NDA government assumed power earlier this year. During a visit to Guntur, Reddy criticised the state administration, accusing it of failing to protect women and children, leading to multiple instances of violence.
Addressing reporters after meeting the family of a victim, Jagan, as per PTI alleged, “Atrocities against women and children have increased drastically within four months of the new government.”
Jagan described the details of the recent death of 25-year-old woman in Guntur. He alleged, "...When her body was brought to the hospital, she was physically abused and sexually abused. In that particular stage, while she was brain dead, she was brought to the hospital, thrown in the hospital and people left...Their proximity to Chandrababu Naidu and the current Central Government minister is evident."
Jagan accused the government of failing to address these serious issues and called out the lack of accountability. He alleged that around 77 similar cases have occurred in just 4.5 months, with five victims taking their own lives and seven succumbing to their injuries.
He said: "Why is it that the Government has not come forward, apologised to the mother, to her sister? Why has the Government not taken stern action? Rather than doing that, why is the Government trying to cover up for every sexual act?. People who did this are none other than TDP activists...Why has no action been taken?...Not one but 77 such incidents took place during the course of these 4.5 months, 5 of them have committed suicide and 7 of them have died...This is the regime of Chandrababu Naidu Government..."
Further, the former CM pointed out the success of the Disha app, a women’s safety initiative launched during his tenure. He stated that over 1.5 crore women downloaded the app, which provided emergency police assistance within 10 minutes when the SOS alert was triggered. “Under our government, the Disha app alone saved over 31,000 women from dangerous situations,” Jagan said, adding that the app was rendered non-functional under the new regime.
Reddy held the current administration, including Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, responsible for the app’s decline. He accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh of indirectly encouraging these crimes. “It seems like there is an attempt to cover up every incident, protecting those responsible instead of punishing them,” Reddy alleged.