Chennai: One person has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a second-year engineering student Monday night at Chennai’s Anna University campus.
Kottur resident Gnanasekaran, 37, who runs a biryani stall on a sidewalk nearby, has confessed to the crime.
The student told the Greater Chennai police on 24 December that she was assaulted by a stranger in front of her male friend the evening before. A case has been registered at the Kotturpuram women’s police station.
The police launched a probe after the incident and scanned CCTV footage provided by the university to zero in on the culprit. Cops also said they were conducting a joint security review with university officers and that appropriate action would be taken to improve security of students.
The issue has sparked a political controversy after opposition parties attacked the ruling DMK for the “deteriorating law and order” in the state.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai demanded that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin take responsibility and address the public on the matter.
He said Tamil Nadu under the DMK had “become a breeding ground of unlawful activities and a haven for criminals”. “Women don’t feel safe in the state anymore, as the police are kept busy to silence the opposition,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian retorted that the incident was being unnecessarily politicised by the opposition, adding that measures would be implemented in universities to avoid such incidents in the future.
“Those who want to politicise this incident should note that in the Pollachi sexual assault that took place during the previous regime, the victims were afraid to even file a complaint due to pressure from the then administration,” Chezhian said.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: ‘Discrimination’ against beef at Chennai food fest sparks row, slammed as ‘casteist mentality’