AIADMK MLAs staging a protest outside the Assembly on Wednesday over the Anna University sexual assault case.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
The AIADMK on Wednesday questioned the DMK government in the Assembly over the sexual assault of a girl student of Anna University, while Chief Minister M.K. Stalin accused the Opposition party of raising the issue for “political gains” even after the arrest of the accused.
The Chief Minister also urged the Opposition not to frighten students pursuing higher education, in their attempt to bring the DMK government into disrepute.
Mr. Stalin said the Opposition should not engage in a “cheap” act for “unnecessary publicity” in a sensitive case involving a girl student. The AIADMK, led by deputy floor leader R.B. Udhayakumar, staged a walkout after Mr. Stalin criticised the erstwhile AIADMK government over its handling of the Pollachi sex scandal of 2019. Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami was not present in the House.
Some DMK allies, including the Congress, maintained that the Governor should take responsibility for the incident on the grounds that he was the Chancellor of Anna University. However, the BJP wanted the State government to take responsibility for the incident. The CPI(M) and the CPI sought strict action against perpetrators of the crime.
During a call attention motion moved by Opposition parties in the House, Mr. Udhayakumar pointed to discrepancies in the statements made by the Chennai Police Commissioner and the Minister for Higher Education on the incident.
He further questioned the DMK government’s stand, and asked why the Chief Minister had not spoken about the issue so far. AIADMK members wore black shirts and sarees with badges that read ‘Yaar Andha Sir?’ (Who’s that Sir?).
Claiming that Gnanasekaran, who has been arrested in the case, was from the DMK, Mr. Udhayakumar asked why the party had not taken action against him. Congress leader K. Selvaperunthagai said the Telecom Department was under the control of the Union government, and it should look into Gnanasekaran’s call history to trace all those involved in the crime.
CM’s response
In his reply, Mr. Stalin said: “The inquiry by the Special Investigation Team constituted by the High Court is in full swing. If it emerges that more people are involved, we will definitely take strong action, irrespective of their background and who they are.”
He also referred to the arrest of a woman police inspector and an AIADMK functionary in connection with the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl.
The accused in the Anna University case was “not a member of the DMK, but a DMK sympathiser”, the Chief Minister said, and added that he had been arrested and detained under the Goondas Act. “As for my government, be it any party or individual… even if it is the police department, we prioritise women’s safety,” he said.
The PMK’s G.K. Mani, BJP’s M.R. Gandhi, VCK’s M. Sinthanai Selvan, CPI(M)’s V.P. Nagaimaali, and CPI’s K. Marimuthu spoke on the motion. Legislators T. Sadhan Thirumalaikumar, E.R. Eswaran, T. Velmurugan and M. Jaganmoorthy also spoke on the motion.
Published – January 09, 2025 12:09 am IST
Please Unblock add blocker
