Beat constables suspended; two more women arrested

Udupi: SP Arun K suspended two beat constables in connection with the incident of a woman being tied to a tree and assaulted at the Malpe harbour. Head constable Suresh and constable Nagaraj have been suspended. The SP stated that the beat constables were suspended for failing to gather accurate information regarding the incident. He said that the investigation is in progress and two more persons, Leela and Parvathi, were arrested in the case. With this, the total number of arrests reached five.
Meanwhile, the State Women's Commission strongly condemned the inhuman act committed against the woman in this case. The commission directed that appropriate legal action be taken against those responsible, and also sought a comprehensive report on the actions taken at the earliest.
Incident unfortunate: MLA
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna said that the incident was extremely unfortunate, and both the fisheries and police departments must take appropriate steps to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future. The MLA criticised the gross negligence of the fisheries department, stating that such lapses led to this situation. Despite Malpe being the country's largest all-season fishing harbour, there was no effective installation of CCTV surveillance or deployment of adequate security personnel, even though multiple thefts were reported from the harbour regularly, he said.
Although three meetings were held with the fisheries and port departments and coastal security police officials, Suvarna alleged that no corrective action was taken. He also pointed out that the harbour maintenance contract, which expired over a year ago, was extended to the same agency without adhering to proper tender norms, despite complaints of mismanagement.
"Even in a meeting held last Saturday, instructions were given to call for fresh tenders, but the issue remains unresolved. Although the matter was brought to the attention of the district administration, no firm action was taken, forcing fishermen to bear the brunt of the mismanagement," he said.
Malpe Harbour has long been a place where people from diverse backgrounds have worked together in harmony. Suvarna noted that such isolated incidents should not tarnish the image of the harbour, especially at a time when fishermen are already struggling due to a poor fishing season and financial distress. He assured that necessary steps would be taken in coordination with the district administration and Malpe Fishermen's Association to prevent recurrence of such incidents.