A 19-year-old pupil was allegedly sexually assaulted on the campus of Anna College in Chennai, cops conversant in the matter mentioned, including that one man was arrested over the incident, which triggered widespread outrage and fanned a political tussle in Tamil Nadu.
In accordance with police, the 37-year-old accused entered the college campus on Monday night and sexually assaulted the second-year pupil at round 8pm behind a constructing after thrashing a fourth-year male pupil, who was accompanying her.
“The accused allegedly threatened the male pupil and compelled him to flee the spot,” mentioned a senior police official on situation of anonymity.
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The police registered a case underneath primarily based on the girl’s criticism and arrested a person, who ran a biryani stall close to the campus. HT reached out to cops to know the sections underneath which the case was registered however they refused to reveal particulars, saying that the matter was underneath investigation.
“Through the investigation, Gnanasekaran of Kottur (a neighbourhood close to the faculty) has been arrested for this crime. The suspect has given a confessional assertion,” the police mentioned in an announcement.
One of many premier greater schooling institutes of the nation, Anna College has always featured among the many high schools and universities of the nation in numerous nationwide and worldwide rankings. The incident sparked a large outcry and raised questions over the security of scholars on the college. Members of the College students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Democratic Ladies’s Affiliation (AIDWA) staged a protest in entrance of the varsity, demanding justice for the girl and extra steps to make sure the security of scholars on campus.
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In an announcement, the college mentioned that it has fashioned an Inside Complaints Committee (ICC) to probe the incident, with its officers saying that college students’ security is their high precedence.
“The Inside Complaints Committee of the varsity has additionally commenced an inquiry. The college administration is extending full cooperation to the police…Safety workers are at all times on responsibility on campus, and CCTVs have additionally been put in. We are going to strengthen safety measures additional in order that such crimes don’t recur,” institute’s registrar J Prakash in an announcement.
The incident additionally triggered a political row with the Opposition concentrating on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) authorities over the “rise” in crimes towards ladies, a cost rejected by the ruling social gathering.
“It’s disgraceful that such a heinous crime occurred at Anna College, a proud landmark of Tamil Nadu… I strongly condemn the DMK authorities for letting legislation and order deteriorate to a stage the place ladies can’t really feel secure at academic establishments or workplaces,” AIADMK basic secretary and Chief of the Opposition within the state meeting Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) mentioned.
State BJP president Okay Annamalai mentioned ladies don’t really feel secure within the state because of the deteriorating legislation and order state of affairs. “This incident shouldn’t be solely stunning however leaves us paralysed with disgrace… Tamil Nadu, underneath the DMK authorities, has grow to be a breeding floor of illegal actions and a haven for criminals. Ladies don’t really feel secure within the state anymore, because the police are saved busy by the ruling administration to silence the opposition,” he mentioned.
The DMK rejected the Opposition’s cost and urged them to not politicise a heinous crime.
“It’s unlucky, and it [the incident] shouldn’t have occurred. The perpetrator will probably be dropped at justice. The Opposition don’t have anything to talk of politically, so they’re utilizing these crimes to say that there’s a legislation and order drawback. Let’s not confuse this crime with the general legislation and order state of affairs, which ought to be judged primarily based on the police’s response to those crimes,” DMK spokesperson A Saravanan mentioned.
