NCW rejects member's report, but Venkatesh defiant

The differences within the NCW over Mangalore pub attack probe deepened today 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 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.

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

Venkatesh, who led a three-member team that enquired 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 Venkatesh'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 Venkatesh to explain why she had gone public with her opinion on the matter.