The victims of the infamous gangrape of 11 Tribal women in Andhra Pradesh in 2007 have terms "THE ACQUITTAL" of 13 policemen "a slap on our faces." after two days of the verdict. The 13 policemen accused of raping the tribal women in Andhra Pradesh's Vakapalli hamlet were acquitted by a Special Trial Court, and the victims have expressed frustration and anger at a system they believed was geared towards protecting the powerful.

As per the report of IE, one of the women, now aged 45, stated that: “A policeman will never investigate the crime of another policeman. Justice has eluded us. The only silver lining is the court's order to provide compensation to us, which means it believes was geared towards protecting the powerful that we are victims."

The order has been passed by the Special Court for SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act cum XI Additional District and Sessions Judge on Thursday. The court pulled up the investigation officer for doing a shoddy job and directed the state government to take action against him.

Noting the facts of the case, the trial judge stated that on 20th August 2007, a 30-member team of an anti-Maoist special branch of police had launched a combing operation in the hamlet. Eleven women belonging to a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group alleged they had been gang-raped and assaulted by 13 of the policemen at gunpoint.

Waiting for the justice for last 16 years two of the eleven women have died. Another survivor, aged 40, told IE that: "After the incident, we were subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment by our husbands and village elders. We were ostracised and forced to stay away from the family for several days. We were not al- lowed to interact even with our children. We were allowed back into our houses after several days and had to keep taking purification baths."

Until August 26. No police visited the hamlet to secure the alleged crime scene or recorded their statements. On 27th Aug 2007, the state government pointed then Deputy S Visakhapatnam Rural Poli Ananda Rao to investigate the legations. The court noted Rao did not visit the hamlet til 08th September. The crime scene was not secured and no evidence was collected for 17 days.

After registering the FIR, Paderu Police delayed sending the women for medical examination by another two days. The police initially tried to the women to the Anakap Government Hospital, which was unequipped to conduct the examination of rape cases. Supported by women's organizations, the women refused t to that hospital, after which they were taken to King Geo Hospital at Visakhapatnam.

The court also noted no identification test of the accused was conducted for years. When the trial finally began in February 2019, and an identification test was ordered by the court, the women asked how they were supposed to identify the men after 12 years.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Sunkara Rajendra Prasad, who waged the legal battle on behalf of the 11 women, the court observed that the investigation was compromised.