CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat has written to Tamil Nadu DGP Ashok Kumar, expressing her outrage over the role of police in trying to cover up the gang rape of a hearing and speech impaired girl in Krishnagiri district. In her letter on February 14, Karat wrote, "I had met you (the DGP) on January 30 in connection with the gang rape of a 16-year-old hearing and speech impaired girl of Krishnagiri district. I am writing to you about the same case with a sense of outrage and deep concern because the Krishnagiri police continue to sabotage the processes of justice... In my many years of experience of dealing with police culpability in cases of cover up in sexual assault cases, this example is the most shocking, more so since it involves a disabled girl." Following a high court order, a second medical examination was conducted on the girl, which vindicated what the girl had been saying about the nature of the brutal assault she suffered. The examination records that the assault could have occurred "a week or so before the examination". "It thus exposes the so called first medical examination which had asserted that no penetration had taken place on the basis of which you had yourself stated that although the girl was assaulted it was not rape," she said. However, instead of taking action against those responsible for the concocted first medical report, the police submitted a written list of queries to the doctors who had conducted the second medical examination. The questions are misogynist, insensitive, demeaning, irrelevant, atrocious and highly objectionable. The police force, charged to ensure justice to the victim, is acting as the defence team of the criminals. This is intolerable and unacceptable. "When I had met you on January 30 about the police role in the case, along with a delegation of the Tamil Nadu Association of the Differently Abled and the AIDWA, you had assured us that you would personally look into the matter and see that justice is done. Regretfully lack of action against the police officials involved has emboldened them... It is the SP of the district who must be held responsible and accountable," she said. "Clearly, there is no standard operating procedure or protocol being observed by the Tamil Nadu police in cases of sexual assault even in cases of minor girls. Surely this is the responsibility of the top officials including yourself. However, in spite of my drawing your attention to the lack of such protocols no remedial action was taken," Karat told the DGP. "I urge you to kindly take immediate action against the police and medical officials including the SP involved. I shall also be taking up the matter with the Central Home Ministry regarding the lack of protocols and SOPs and the use of the demeaning and illegal two finger test," she said.