Chennai, Jan 29 (PTI) The city police have arrested three men for the alleged sexual assault of a woman at Government Arts and Science College at Nandanam here, officials said on Thursday.
Opposition leaders, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and TVK founder Vijay lashed out at the government over the episode.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Muthuselvam, Gunasekaran, and Karthikeyan.
The victim, a resident of Ariyalur district, was brought to Chennai through an acquaintance of the canteen owner, Muthuselvam, who then employed her at the facility, according to a press statement issued by Chennai police.
Investigators found that the woman was assaulted by Muthuselvam and two employees, Gunasekaran and Karthikeyan, at the college canteen and a room located within the campus. Muthuselvam had reportedly been running the canteen under a direct contract with the college for the past 12 years.
According to police sources, the matter came to light after the woman lodged a formal complaint with the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department.
Based on the her statement, the All Women Police Station at Saidapet registered a case and apprehended the three suspects.
Further investigation into the case is currently underway, a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, the incident drew sharp criticism from opposition parties.
Palaniswami, the Leader of Opposition, lamented that the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu is “heart wrenching”.
“It is shameful that this puppet Chief Minister M K Stalin is watching as the number of horrific sexual crimes increases daily in Tamil Nadu. While the tension from yesterday’s incident in Chennai — where a young woman from Bihar was sexually assaulted and she, her husband, and child were brutally murdered in an event that shook India—-has not yet subsided, today another woman has been subjected to sexual assault at a government college canteen,” he wrote on his ‘X’ account.
PMK founder S Ramadoss attributed the rise in such horrific crimes to alcohol consumption. He noted that while the CM recently claimed at a women’s conference that the state is safe for women, these incidents suggest otherwise. Ramadoss urged the government to permanently close liquor shops to ensure the safety of women and children.
Vijay accused the Stalin-led dispensation of being a “hypocritical drama government” that has created an environment where neither local residents nor those who come to the state for their livelihood feel secure.
“The entire state is in shock following back-to-back incidents of sexual violence in the capital city, Chennai. The brutal murder of a guest worker from Bihar, along with his wife and child, in Adyar, and the sexual assault of a young woman working in a government college canteen in Nandanam are deeply distressing and deserve the strongest condemnation,” Vijay said.
DMDK General Secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth expressed profound shock, stating that the assault on a woman within a college campus is unacceptable. She demanded the most stringent action against the canteen master and other culprits involved in the “inhumane and cruel” act.
AMMK General Secretary T T V Dhinakaran also condemned the “lethargic attitude” of the DMK government, stating the incident proves the state is in no way safe for women. He urged Stalin to move beyond public rhetoric and focus on actual security measures to prevent such crimes in the future. PTI JR JR SA
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