Chennai: Days after an Army jawan serving in Kashmir 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 had termed as “exaggerated” — another audio clip, purportedly of the same jawan, is doing the rounds of social media and appears to give credibility to the police claim.
In the audio, purportedly a leaked phone conversation between the jawan, havildar Prabhakaran, and a friend — identified in the clip as Vinod — the former can be allegedly heard instructing his friend on the issue.
“All of us have to say the same thing. I have sent my video to all the political parties and in the next two-three days the entire Tamil Nadu will strike on this issue,” Prabhakaran is purportedly heard saying.
He then allegedly adds: “You will understand in a day or two the extent of work I have put in for this.”
The jawan can be also allegedly heard saying that he had been called by ministers, leaders of political parties and also by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s office. He is also purportedly heard telling Vinod that his (Prabhakaran’s) brother-in-law, Jeeva, should call him as soon as possible.
Prabhakaran’s recorded video, in which he had made the allegations involving his wide, had been widely shared on social media Sunday 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.
While the Army had expressed solidarity with Prabhakaran’s family, the allegations made by the jawan had also started a war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Tamil Nadu unit and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the state.
The police — while it had registered an FIR (First Information Report) based 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 — claimed 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, the police had added.
In the purported conversation between Prabhakaran and Vinod, the former can be allegedly heard instructing Vinod to ensure that Jeeva does not admit to stabbing the shop owner Ramu with a knife. He allegedly adds: “Ask him to say that when his sister got attacked he could not remain silent.”
ThePrint reached Tiruvannamalai superintendent of police (SP) K. Karthikeyan on phone and text message for comment on the purported leaked audio. The copy will be updated once a response is received.
ThePrint has reached the jawan’s family for comment over phone. The copy will be updated once a response is received.
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The dispute
A CCTV video accessed by ThePrint earlier showed the scuffle outside the 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 allegedly 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 allegedly 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.
ThePrint had earlier reached both sides on call for their versions of the events, but received no response.
Tiruvannamalai SP Karthikeyan said in a statement Sunday, “It is found that none of the public 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”..
The jawan’s wife, Keerthi, who has been admitted at the Vellore Government Hospital since the alleged incident, was visited there by Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women chairperson, A.S. Kumari, Tuesday.
After interacting with Keerthi, Kumari told the media, “Two women police constables and one SI are providing security to her. After investigation, legal action will be taken in the case. We will continue to monitor the progress in the probe in the case.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: ‘Exaggerated,’ say Tamil Nadu Police after soldier alleges mob stripped & assaulted his wife