*Guntur woman assault was deliberately suppressed: Ambati Rambabu*

Tadepalli, July 18: Former Minister Ambati Rambabu and YSRCP Guntur East In-charge Noori Fathima accused the TDP-led coalition government of deliberately suppressing the brutal assault on a woman in Guntur, stating that the incident exposed the collapse of law and order and the misuse of the police machinery to shield ruling party leaders. Addressing the media at the YSRCP Central Office, they said the victim was stripped and brutally assaulted by TDP leader Mallela Murthy and his associates, yet the government attempted to bury the case instead of delivering justice.
Ambati Rambabu said the attack had taken place three days before Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed to have learnt about it, exposing the government's false narrative. He said the victim and her son were brutally assaulted, and despite approaching the police station on the very same day, no case was registered. Even after a case was eventually recorded on July 16, no arrest was made. It was only after CCTV footage surfaced and public outrage intensified that the Chief Minister, the local MLA and the police sprang into action, followed by the announcement of Murthy's suspension from the TDP. He said the victim's family was shifted to the police station in the name of inquiry after YSRCP leaders announced their visit, accusing the ruling party of trying to suppress a dispute linked to illegal money collection under the supervision of the local MLA while making the police scapegoats. He demanded the resignation of Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha over the repeated failure to protect women.
Noori Fathima said lawlessness has worsened under Guntur MLA Galla Madhavi, whose patronage has emboldened her followers to commit atrocities while misusing the police machinery. She questioned how a woman could be stripped in broad daylight in Guntur, where even the State Women's Commission is headquartered, and asked whether stripping women in public had become part of the coalition's "Red Book Constitution." She said such incidents would never have occurred had strict action been taken against ruling party legislators and demanded accountability from those responsible.