Amravati (Andhra Pradesh), Sept 17: With the enactment of a stringent law that awards capital punishment to those found guilty of committing the crime of rape, Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to enact a law that helps curb the growing incidents of rapes and ensure timely help for the safety of women. 

 

An unfortunate incident led to the launch of a mass programme that provides a ‘weapon’ to lakhs of women in Andhra Pradesh ensuring timely help for their safety. Chief Minister. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was moved by a recent rape incident that occurred two months ago and quickly reacted and asked officials to rope in women police constables, ASHA workers and village secretariat staff who will work as ‘Ambassadors’ for creating awareness among the women to make use of the ‘weapon’, a safety tool in the hands of young girls and women.

 

This is an initiative by Andhra Pradesh CM to ensure security for women. Incidentally, a woman heads the home ministry in the Reddy government. The state government in its commitment to provide security to women had developed Disha App to be downloaded in mobile phones of women so that they can alert the police whenever they face insecurity or are in danger.

 

The App has a number of unique applications wherein women who download the App can just shake the mobile vigorously in case of emergency or when there is no time during distress to send an alert to Police Command Control Centre and within no time police will rush to the spot by tracking the location with the help of a GPS tracker and mobile data terminal. 

 

The App also has the option called ‘Track My Travel’ for safety and guidance during travel. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy who launched the Disha App mass download programme and awareness campaign declared that over 46 lakh people have already downloaded the Disha App and it would soon reach one crore downloads. He also stated that the App has also received four national awards. 

 

While participating in the programme, the Chief Minister directed the officials to take up door- to-door campaigns in creating awareness on the App ensuring that every woman downloads it. Chief Minister Reddy was moved by an incident of rape of a nurse last month who had gone out with her fiancé to the Krishna river bank in Seethanagaram in Guntur district when she was allegedly assaulted by unidentified men. Disturbed by the incident, he asked the officials to chalk out a mass download programme of Disha App. 

 

“The unfortunate incident that took place in the night at Prakasam Barrage has enraged me. Such incidents should not happen. The government and the police department should do everything they can to prevent such incidents from repeating. I strongly believe that true freedom is only achieved when women can walk freely in the middle of the night without fear. As your protector, I will work hard to prevent such incidents from happening in the future" said the chief minister.

 

The police had arrested four accused in that rape case.

 

A mass download programme of Disha app and awareness campaign had been launched last month at Gollapudi near Vijayawada City by the Chief Minister in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister (Tribal Welfare) P. Pushpa Srivani, Home Minister M. Sucharitha, besides DGP Gautam Sawang 

 

Andhra Pradesh government is the first to adopt a law to give capital punishment to rape accused as a tribute to a veterinary doctor who was raped and murdered brutally in Hyderabad. On December 13, 2019, Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly passed the Disha Act, 2019 (Andhra Pradesh Criminal amendment law, 2019).

 

The Act provides death penalty for offences like rape, gang rape, and for speeding up of trials of such offence within 21 days. The Act visualizes the execution of the investigation within seven working days and trial in 14 days from the date of filing the charge-sheet, for gathering sufficient evidence and the passing of judgment, within the time period of 21 days.

 

Disha Act, 2019 is an acknowledgement of a veterinarian doctor who was raped and murdered on November 27, 2019, in Hyderabad. She was reportedly kidnapped by the four men and her body was found around 30 km away on the NH-44. As per the investigation report, the incident was pre-planned by the accused. However, the accused were killed in an encounter while trying to escape from police custody on December 6.