Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have accused the DMK government and the state police of inaction and negligence in the case of sexual harassment of a mentally challenged college student in Chennai.
According to a police statement, the father of a “mentally disturbed college student” filed a complaint, “alleging that his daughter was inappropriately seduced by a fellow student and some male friends, and one of the male friends. Attempted sexual assault.”
Initially registered as a Community Service Register (CSR) case, the investigation interrogated a “female friend” mentioned in the complaint and several male acquaintances. The police registered a case on December 6 after confirming that there was sexual misconduct, the police said. On December 7, two students named Suresh, a 20-year-old college student and Naresh, a 19-year-old school student, were arrested from Tiruvallur.
As the victim of this incident is mentally disabled, it has become a challenge for the investigating officer. In this situation, four special teams have been formed to speed up the investigation, the police said.
In response to the opposition leaders’ comments, the police appealed to the public not to publicly criticize the incident, warning that such discussions would hamper the investigation and cause mental anguish to the victim and her family.
Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai accused the police of delay in action and called for accountability. He announced that the BJP would petition the police chief to take action against the officials responsible for the alleged delay.
“The police asked the victim’s father to change the complaint and warned him. It is the duty of the state to protect the disabled victims. Chief Minister MK Stalin should sack all those policemen immediately. I have always supported the police, but in this case it is unacceptable,” said Annamalai.
He also questioned CM Stalin’s silence on the issue. “Who gave the police the right to warn suspects and proceed with sexual assault cases? At a time when the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu is already poor, how can the police act like this, especially when a mentally challenged girl is sexually assaulted? He asked.
The AIADMK echoed similar concerns, with its chief Edappadi K Palaniswami accusing the DMK government of systemic negligence and failure to create a safe environment for women. “While the victim’s father has already reported the matter at the police station, the DMK government police have generally been very careless and ignored the complainants,” Palaniswami said in a statement.