Sexual assault on Anna University campus: Opposition parties stage protest in Chennai; Jayakumar, Tamilisai detained-OxBig News Network

Anna University. File
| Photo Credit: M. Karunakaran

Members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (December 26, 2024) staged a demonstration in Chennai condemning the ruling DMK government over the alleged sexual assault on a girl student on Anna University campus.

Hundreds of AIADMK leaders and workers, including former Ministers D. Jayakumar, S. Gokula Indira, and P. Valarmathi, gathered in front of Anna University and staged a demonstration. Traffic was thrown out of gear for a while as the protesters resorted to a road roko, alleging security lapses on the campus. The police removed them from the spot and detained them.

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami condemned the State government for detaining members of his party. In a social media post, he alleged that the sexual assault on a student on the Anna University campus was proof that the “DMK is becoming the den of anti-social elements.”

Citing media reports, Mr. Palaniswami claimed that the accused Gnanasekaran, who was arrested by the police on Wednesday (December 25, 2024), was a DMK member. Photos of the accused in the company of senior DMK leaders had been widely circulated on social media platforms, he said.

“How can one believe that the CCTV cameras in Tamil Nadu’s premier higher educational institute were not working? Does the DMK government run Anna University with such security lapses? How was a history sheeter allowed to enter the campus? The safety of students is under question,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

BJP condemns DMK govt.

The police also detained BJP cadre, headed by former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who attempted to stage a protest at Valluvarkottam. They were lodged in a private wedding hall where they raised slogans condemning the ruling government.

BJP State president K. Annamalai, in a social media post, alleged that the identity of the sexual assault survivor had been compromised. “The DMK government failed to protect the personal details of the victim as the First Information Report (FIR) was leaked. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has to take full responsibility for this.”

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran also questioned why the police failed to keep a watch on the activities of the accused Gnanasekaran, who was involved in several other cases. He urged the State government to speed up the investigation and take severe action against all those involved in the crime.