Minor girls who were ‘raped’ stop going to school, refuse compensation

The two minor girls, who were allegedly raped by an autorickshaw driver and his friend in Krishna district, reportedly stopped going to school and their family members refused compensation from the government.The eight-class girls ran away from the school hostel on the outskirts of Machilipatnam on August 6, 2026.After they reached Koneru Centre in Machilipatnam, one of the girls called her parents from the mobile phone of a passer-by and requested them to send ₹100. Worried that how the girl had come out of the hostel during the night, the parents called the school principal who lodged a police complaint regrading missing of the two girls.An auto-rickshaw driver M. Vamshi Kiran and his friend K. Siddhu picked up the girls, promising to drop them at home. They diverted the auto towards Rudravaram village near Machilipatnam and allegedly raped them in an under construction building, said Superintendent of Police V. Vidyasagar Naidu.Acting on the complaint, the Bandar Taluka police registered a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and other provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The police arrested the suspects.Meanwhile, the victims and their family members reportedly refused help and compensation from the government. According to sources, the minor girls had stopped going to school after the incident, and the family members were not responding to the phone calls of the officials.Andhra Pradesh State Bar Federation Human Rights secretary Pendem Rajya Lakshmi said the officials should provide the necessary legal aid and counselling to the minor girls. “The district administration should take measures to ensure that the minors continue their education,” she said.“We tried to contact the victims and offered financial and legal aid from the government. They refused,” said a Women Development and Child Welfare department staff.“The girls and their parents handed over letters in writing, rejecting financial assistance, and refusing to appear before the officials and cooperating with the inquiry,” a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member said.Speaking to The Hindu, Krishna District Collector D.K. Balaji said the officials will meet the victims’ families and ensure that the girls continue their education. “We will take measures to provide protection to the minor girls and send them to school,” a CWC Member said. Published - September 03, 2026 11:14 pm IST