In the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, a 22-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped by eight men, including two DMK workers and four juveniles. On Monday, March 21, all eight were detained based on a complaint filed by the victim.
According to reports, the arrested were Hariharan (27), Junaith Ahamed (27), Praveen (21), Madasamy (37), and four other minor boys from Virudhunagar studying in Classes X, XI, and XII.
Hariharan, a DMK worker, made friends with the 22-year-old Dalit lady in Virudhunagar a few months ago. Hariharan later brought the woman to a remote location and raped her. The man allegedly then videotaped the act and shared it with his companions.
Following this, Hariharan and his associates blackmailed the survivor by threatening to leak the recording on social media if she did not comply with the sex in exchange, as they asked.
Thereafter, they exploited the video as a ruse and began sexually assaulting her on many occasions over the previous two months.
The victim, who works for a private firm, contacted Madasamy, a driver with whom she was familiar. Madasamy received the tapes from the males under the guise of warning them. He then threatened and raped the victim using the videos. On Sunday, the victim filed a complaint with the women’s helpline (number 181), prompting the police to launch an investigation.
Based on the victim’s statement, the police filed a rape case against all eight persons under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Hariharan, Junaith Ahamed, Praveen, and Madasamy were taken before the Special Court judge and remanded in judicial custody for cases registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The other four juvenile boys were produced before a magistrate and sent to a correction home in Madurai. More information is anticipated as the investigation continues.
விருதுநகர் மாவட்டத்தில் 22 வயது பெண்ணை பாலியல் வன்கொடுமைக்கு உள்ளாக்கிய நபர்கள் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு இருப்பது ஆறுதலைத் தருகிறது. குற்றம் செய்தவர்கள் யாராக இருப்பினும் கடுமையாகத் தண்டிக்கப் படவேண்டும்.
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) March 22, 2022
Besides all, DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed her sympathies for the incident stating, “Strict action must be taken irrespective of who has committed the heinous crime.” She noted that the only relief is that all of the suspects have been detained.
