Ravela Susheel, son of AP Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu, is embroiled in a controversy after he allegedly misbehaved with a woman, Fatima Begum (20) here.
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Initially, the police registered a case only against the driver. The woman claimed that she raised an alarm following which her husband, who was nearby, and some locals gathered at the spot and beat up the accused. “We are demanding that both names (minister’s son and driver) should be in the FIR, not just the name of the driver Appa Rao”.
It is also known that the locals were unhappy when the police did not want to book the case against Susheel and forced them to do it. Speaking to NDTV, one of the local said, “The two men were heavily drunk”. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A Venkateshwera Rao told PTI that the case was registered under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act meant to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC against Susheel and his driver M Ramesh. Though she ignored it, someone from inside the vehicle asked her to get in.
The police swung into action after women’s groups threatened to launch an agitation if Sushil was not booked and arrested.
Meanwhile, in what appeared to be a desperate cover up bid by the minister’s son, he came out with a “pet” story and tried to shift the blame on the woman. She misused the situation and misled the crowd because of which they lost control and started manhandling me. The gang joined unidentified individuals whose only intention was political vengeance. “This incident is a cruel act by our political opponents”, he has said.
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The minister in a statement has said that he will let the law take its course and will not interfere in the investigation. The minister’s son, however, has tweeted that he was playing with some street dogs when the woman shouted at him and a mob attacked him for no reason. “I respect the Constitution”, he clarified.
