With Reciprocal Arrangements with The Star of Mysore

Mysore, Aug. 5: A minor girl, allegedly being assaulted by members of an NGO, was rescued by a group of villagers in SRS Colony, Hootagalli, here last evening.

The villagers told Police that the girl named Vandana, aged 16 years, daughter of Damodar Rao of Mangalore, was being assaulted by Parashu and others of Odanadi, an NGO. While the girl was physically being dragged towards a Tata Sumo (KA-09, N-7155) near the busstand in SRS Colony, a group of onlookers staged a road block, preventing the Odanadi members from taking away the girl. The Vijaya-nagar Police, who rushed to the spot, took the girl and the Oda-nadi members to the Police Station.

Vandana told the Police that her parents Damodar Rao and Vidya got acquainted with a woman named Gayathri, who told them about the Odanadi in Mysore, where their daughter could learn karate, swimming, driving etc. She also told that she was in love with a youth in Mangalore, which was approved of by both their parents. On mutual consent from both families, Vandana was brought to Odanadi on June 18 last.

"When I came to Odanadi, I found out that there was no facility for education or training of any sort. It had only one gymna-sium. I did not even get a decent meal here. On the contrary, I was frequently assaulted by the Odanadi members. Since HIV patients also lived there, I wanted to get out of the place," Vandana related her experiences and added, "I had not eaten anything since the past one week. I went to Chamundi Hill this morning, had the Goddess' darshan, purchased some pictures of the shrine and returned to Hootagalli. I made up my mind to leave Odanadi. But it was impossible to leave with my belongings and so, I went to the bus stand in SRS Colony and waited for a bus. While I waited there, Geetha, an employee of Odanadi and Mamatha, an employee of a beauty parlour, asked me to return to Odanadi. When I refused, Mamatha assaulted me and threw away the Chamundi temple pictures. She then telephoned Parashu, who came in the Tata Sumo and told me to get back to Odanadi. When I refused, he threatened to kill me and tried to drag me into the vehicle. I was rescued by the onlookers who were watching the altercations."

The sobbing, Vandana pleaded with the Police Inspector G.N. Mohan not to send her back to Odanadi.

Inspector Mohan, booking cases against Parashu and Mamatha of Odanadi under Sections 341, 323, 353, 405 and 506 of the IPC, sent Vandana for medical examination and treatment.

Parashu was arrested this morning and was produced before a Court.