NCW rejects member's report, but Nirmala defiant

The differences within the NCW over Mangalore pub attack probe deepened on Friday with the Commission rejecting a report by one its members who had drawn the ire of a union minister but she retaliated by saying that she stood by her observations and would not step down.

"The Commission took stock of the entire report filed by Nirmala Venkatesh and decided not to accept it," NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said after an early morning meeting.

Nirmala Venkatesh, who led a three-member team that made an inquiry last week into the January 24 attack on girls an boys at a pub in Mangalore by a self-styled moral brigade of Hindu outfit Srirama Sene, had blamed the pub owners for the incident saying they had not provided enough security.

Apparently unhappy with Nirmala's comments, union minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury had dispatched another enquiry team while the Ministry issued a show-cause notice to the NCW member last evening for not
submitting her report on time.

The ministry asked also Nirmala to explain why she had gone public with her opinion on the matter.

Nirmala had on Tuesday hit back at Chowdhary saying "the commission's inquiry is final. The Constitution says the commission's inquiry is final".

A defiant Nirmala stuck to her stand on Friday and ruled out her resignation. "Why the resignation, for what? I will be abiding with any my recommendations and observations," she added.

Vyas said that the NCW will not send a fresh team to Mangalore on a fact-finding mission as the independent commission from the Women and Child Development Ministry has already visited Mangalore for an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.