Chennai: An army jawan serving in Kashmir has alleged in a recorded video that his wife was “stripped half-naked and attacked by a mob of 120 people” in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district — a charge which the police have termed as “exaggerated”.
The video by the soldier, identified as Havildar Prabhakaran, Sunday was widely shared on social media and tweeted by Lt. Col. N. Thiagarajan (retired), who is also the senior state vice-president of the Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad, as well as BJP state chief K. Annamalai.
Taking note of the video, the Indian Army expressed solidarity with Prabhakaran’s family and contacted the local police for action. The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps put up a tweet Sunday taking note of the incident.
#IndianArmy stands firm on Welfare of its Troops & Families.
An incident involving spouse of Hav Prabakaran M native of #TamilNadu has been acted upon firmly. Police at Tiruvannamalai initiated necessary action against the culprits & safety of the family has been ensured.@adgpi
— Chinar Corps🍁 – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) June 11, 2023
Similarly, the Army’s Northern Command informed that it has already contacted the police authorities who have assured of all help.
An Indian Army soldier in uniform gave a statement fearing for the safety of his family. Army has already contacted the #Police authorities who have assured all help post investigation.
One of the accused has already been arrested. Action is at hand to arrest others. The… https://t.co/MdtToLuMgG
— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) June 11, 2023
The Tiruvannamalai police has registered an FIR (First Information Report) on the complaint of Prabhakaran’s wife, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to rioting and voluntarily causing hurt as well as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, and arrested two men.
The police said the matter pertains to a dispute over a shop involving its owner and the soldier’s father-in-law, who had taken the shop on lease. A scuffle had resulted in people getting injured but Prabhakaran’s wife, who was present in the shop, was untouched,
they added.
A CCTV video accessed by ThePrint shows the scuffle outside the shop.
K. Karthikeyan, Tiruvannamalai Superintendent of Police, said that the complaint was “entirely exaggerated”. “It is found that none of the public have assaulted and outraged the modesty of the woman who was present at the spot. The aforementioned complaint made by the serving soldier was entirely exaggerated,” he said in a statement.
Both parties involved in the scuffle had filed cases against each other and the matter was under investigation, the district police chief added.
Calls from ThePrint to both sides for their versions on the issue went unanswered.
A political blame game has already started with Annamalai accusing the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of failing to protect a soldier’s family. “The DMK creates an environment where army personnel feel they are not welcome. Justice should be meted out with an impartial investigation,” the BJP leader said Sunday.
Contacted by ThePrint over the allegations, DMK spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan said: “Annamalai like anyone else in the BJP has the habit of spreading fake propaganda and uttering rhetoric that makes no sense. Tamil Nadu is one of the most peaceful states in the country, if you see the crime rate in the last two years. The rate is the worst in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh.”
“We are a transparent and accountable government. The police department is doing its job and, in this case also, justice will be meted out,” he added.
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Scuffle over leased shop
According to the police, the dispute in Tiruvannamalai began over a shop located at Padavedu village in an area belonging to the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department.
The shop belonged to a man named Kumar and he had leased it to Prabhakaran’s father-in-law five years ago. Kumar had taken an advance of Rs 9.5 lakh for the lease and the jawan’s father-in-law was paying a monthly rent of Rs 3,000 for the shop.
After Kumar’s demise, his son Ramu wanted the shop back. In its statement, the police said: “Ramu had a negotiation with the family and made a written agreement in the presence of village dignitaries that the shop should be handed over to him on 10.02.2023 on repayment of Rs 9.50 lakh to the lessee.”
The lease owner, however, reportedly refused to take the money back and return the shop.
The police said that on Saturday, Ramu, along with his relatives, visited the shop and asked the two sons of the lessee to vacate the property and take back the amount of Rs 9.50 lakh.
Soon, an altercation ensued which ended with angry onlookers ransacking the shop, the police said.
A police officer investigating the case told ThePrint that, based on a complaint by the jawan’s wife, two persons had been taken into custody.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)