Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Women's Wing (Mahila Morcha) of the BJP will launch a Padayatra from Madurai to Chennai on January three demanding justice to the girl student who was allegedly sexually assaulted at the esteemed State-run Anna University.
This was announced by BJP State Unit President K Annamalai, who had earlier resorted to a
novel whiplash protest, by flogging him six times in front of his house at Coimbatore and had
vowed not to wear footwear till the DMK government was ousted from power, in a post on X.
After a series of protests condemning the incident at the highly reputed Government-run Institution offering quality higher education, and alleging lack of security and safety for girl students in the campus, besides petitioning Governor and University Chancellor R N Ravi
demanding a free and fair probe and action against all those involved in the incident, Mr Annamalai upped its ante against the ruling DMK by announcing the Padayatra.
He said the Padayatra will be led by BJP State Mahila Morcha President Umarathi.
After the Padayatra reached Chennai, a memorandum will be submitted to the Governor, he
said.
Despite repeatedly denied by the DMK Party, Ministers and leaders, Mr Annamalai reiterated that the arrested suspect Gnanasekaran was a member of the DMK.
As the incident sparked an uproar with various political parties, students and women outfits
staging protests, the Madras High Court after taking suo motu cognisance of the incident and
on two PILs filed by advocates seeking a CBI probe, had ordered setting up a three-member
Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three wome IPS officers.
The vacation Bench of the Court also directed the State government to provide a compensation
of Rs 25 lakh to the victim who had underwent mental agony after her identity was revealed in
the leaked FIR.
The Court, while coming down heavily on the Chennai City Police over the leakage and for
revealing the identity of the victim, also mandated the SIT to probe the leakage of FIR in public domain.
However, the Tamil Nadu government cited a technical glitch in NIC server that led to the leakage of the FIR.
The NIC too for its part, had clarified that the FIR there was technical issue that resulted in the
leakage.
Apart from organising protests in front of the campus and state-wide protest demonstration demanding justice to the victim and alleging that the law and order had deteriorated in the
State under the ruling DMK, the IT Wing of the main Opposition AIADMK also launched a
campaign christened "Who is that Sir? '#saveourdaughters".
The campaign started with pasting of posters that contained images of AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Edappadi K Palaniswami
across the city after the rape survivor had in her police complaint said that the accused received a call whom he addressed as Sir.
During the protests organised by the AIADMK, the party functionaries and cadres also held
aloft placards 'Who is that Sir?'
Strongly countering the opposition attack on the government, senior DMK leader and Tamil
Nadu Law asserted that the government has nothing to hide on the issued and assured that
the victim would get speedy justice and punishment as per Law.
He also accused the Opposition parties, including AIADMK, which had demanded a CBI probe
to unravel the entire truth behind the incident, and the BJP of trying to gain political mileage out
of the incident.
