NCW member takes on Renuka over Mangalore pub probe

A slighted National Commission for Woman (NCW) member on Tuesday took pot shots at Union minister Renuka Chowdhary for sending a second team to probe the Mangalore pub incident in which girls were attacked despite the Commission having investigated the matter.

"Who is she(Renuka) to be satisfied(with our report) or not. Let her do her work," said Nirmala Venkatesh, who led the first team. Venkatesh had blamed the pub owners for not ensuring enough security for the girls.

"The Commission's inquiry is final. The Constitution says the commission's inquiry is final. I have done a very important probe in that and also I have submitted yesterday's
report with best observations and recommendations to the Commission", Venkatesh said in Bangalore taking on Chowdhury, who is the minister for Women and Child Development.

"The NCW  has the full right to have its own probe." 

The Women and Child Development Ministry had instituted a separate team led by Joint Secretary Kiran Chaddha to probe the incident. The team has come back only today and will submit a report after which the ministry would take a viewpoint, said Chowdhary in New Delhi.

Asked why the ministry had deemed it necessary to send a separate team, Chowdhary  said since the Commission team had not submitted its report within five days she decided to send an independent team of the ministry taking into account the urgency of the matter.

The minister, however, said she would take into account the report of both the teams before arriving at a conclusion.

"In quite a few incidents, we have sent independent enquiry teams just so that we can compare facts and we comment so that they are not misled by any one single report".

The minister also said she was examining whether the accused in the incident got away due to the new amendments in the CrPC Act.