Chennai, Oct 26 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Monday said the state police are conducting an intensive, multi-angle investigation to trace a 7-year-old girl missing from Gingee in Villupuram district.
Defending the state government’s transparency and commitment to public safety, he challenged the opposition DMK’s claims regarding the current state of law and order in Tamil Nadu.
He asserted that the state police have been conducting an intensive search, with the DGP monitoring the progress daily to ensure a thorough investigation.
Speaking to reporters here, the minister addressed law and order concerns, political allegations from the principal opposition DMK, and updates regarding the state’s power sector and recruitment plans.
Providing an update on the Gingee girl missing case, Minister Nirmal Kumar said, “The police department is investigating the case from every conceivable angle to locate the missing girl at the earliest. The Director General of Police (DGP) is personally reviewing the progress of the investigation on a daily basis to ensure a transparent and thorough inquiry.”
“Under the present administration, no criminal would escape justice.”
The Crime Branch-CID police intensified the search for the girl who remains untraced 15 days after going missing from her home near Gingee, triggering severe political backlash and public outrage. The class 2 student went missing in the early hours of October 12, hours after celebrating her seventh birthday.
According to the police, the child was last seen sleeping with her parents – agriculture labourers and grandmother the previous night after celebrating her birthday on October 11.
The initial investigation by the Sathiyamangalam police, who registered the case, yielded no results. The police deployed over 100 police personnel, drones, sniffer dogs, and forensic experts to search local wells, water bodies, agricultural fields, and forest areas, but found no concrete leads.
The incident sparked massive public outrage and political protests, and the opposition DMK staged a road blockade to draw the government’s attention to the case and demand that the girl be traced soon.
The PMK and other parties too have demanded swift action in the case.
Rejecting criticism regarding law and order in the state, Nirmal Kumar launched a scathing attack on the opposition, questioning its track record during its previous tenure.
“Those lecturing us on law and order today failed to solve high-profile cases during their own governance, such as the Ramajayam murder case,” he alleged.
He further accused the DMK of “indulging in systemic corruption”, claiming that the opposition party had previously demanded money from educational institutions in exchange for issuing safety certificates. “The opposition continues to prioritise political point-scoring and financial gain over legal procedure and public safety,” he said, defending the administration’s transparency and commitment to public welfare.
Turning to infrastructure and energy management, the minister outlined long-term forecasting strategies to meet rising electricity demand, particularly during extreme summer months when the state relies heavily on power purchases from central grid corridors.
A formal announcement regarding the recruitment of gangman personnel in the electricity department will be issued within a week, pending final formal approvals.
Explaining the temporary pause on new solar power applications, the minister stated it was necessary to streamline grid capacity and prevent overload. The government is currently finalising battery storage policies and targeted subsidies to efficiently store and utilise excess solar generation during peak demand hours. PTI JSP JSP ROH
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