On Friday, 27th December, Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai protested against the state government outside his residence in Coimbatore by whipping himself several times. This comes as the BJP accused the DMK government of failing to handle the case of sexual assault on a 19-year-old girl in Anna University, Chennai.
Annamalai stated that the state released the personal details of the victim and committed a shameful act by compromising her dignity. He said that the incident overall reflected the incompetence of the state in handling such sensitive matters.
The video of K Annamalai whipping himself is making rounds on social media.
VIDEO | BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai (@annamalai_k) whips himself outside his residence in Coimbatore to condemn the police, and the state government for their 'apathy' in handling the case of sexual assault of a student of Anna University.#TamilNaduNews
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 27, 2024
(Full video… pic.twitter.com/v3G3DD3nn9
On Thursday, Annamalai also announced that he would forego wearing footwear until the DMK is ousted from power. Amid the protest, the leader slammed the DMK party for lack of CCTV surveillance at the university and also questioned the state’s use of the Nirbhaya fund allotted for women’s safety. “The FIR itself has exposed the victim’s identity and portrayed her in a poor light. This is a disgrace, and the DMK government must take responsibility,” he said as he slammed law minister S Regupathy for defending the state’s actions.
He also said that the police had failed to conduct a proper investigation in the case and demanded the removal of the Chennai police commissioner or the deputy commissioner involved. He further declared that he would observe a 48-day fast and visit Lord Muruga’s six abodes to complain about the state’s deteriorating governance as a protest.
“This kind of dirty politics leaves no room for respect or healthy debate. Women’s safety should not be compromised under any circumstance,” he affirmed.
This comes after the sexual assault incident that was reported from the Anna University campus in Chennai this week. A 19-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on the university campus after which the police arrested one man identified as Gnansekaran in the case. The incident has notably sparked massive political outrage in the state with the state failing to handle the situation and opposition demanding change of governance.

As per the reports, the 37-year-old accused jumped onto the university campus on Monday, 23rd December evening and sexually assaulted the second-year student at around 8 pm. The accused executed the assault behind one of the university buildings after brutally bashing a fourth-year male student who had accompanied the girl at that time.
The police investigating the case revealed that the accused initially threatened the male student to leave the spot. However, later he thrashed him and then sexually assaulted the girl. As per the police officials, the accused operated a biryani stall near the university and was well aware of the campus areas. After being arrested, the accused Gagansekaran gave a confessional statement agreeing to the accusations.
The police meanwhile also stated that the accused had threatened the victim before he assaulted her. “Gnanasekaran approached the students and threatened them by saying he had taken their video. He then threatened the male friend of the victim to leave. The victim was assaulted thereafter. We have recovered his cellphone with evidence of the crime that he had recorded. We are now examining the device to find if there were more such crimes he committed and deleted evidence,” the police said.
“He also threatened the survivor by taking her phone number, saying she must meet him whenever he called her,” the official added.
The woman victim was also filmed without her consent, as per her complaint.
The students at the university, supported by the members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) staged protests at the campus and demanded enhanced measures to ensure the safety of the students.

The police notably filed an FIR in the matter based on the complaint filed by the girl and charged the accused under sections 63, 64, and 75 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023. This, however, sparked major outrage as the copy reached the public domain exposing the personal details of the victim including her name, address, phone number, and graphic details of the ordeal suffered by her.
The AIADMK and BJP criticized the DMK government for incompetence in handling the matter and began protests on the streets. The opposition also alleged that the accused had links to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s party. However, Law Minister S Regupathi rejected the allegations and claimed the claims of FIR exposing details of the girl reaching the public domain was untrue.
The event even sparked more outrage after Greater Chennai Police Commissioner A Arun commented on the issue and said that the FIR might have been downloaded from the Tamil Nadu police’s Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal. “A possible software glitch may have allowed the FIR to be downloaded. A separate FIR has been registered to probe the leak,” he said.
Following this, the National Commission of Women took cognizance of the event and said that the leak of the FIR was a violation under Section 72 of the BNS, 2023. “The leak also violates guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the Nipun Saxena vs Union of India case. Strict action must be taken against the police officers responsible for this as it has compromised the identity of the victim,” the commission said.
"The NCW has taken suo moto cognizance of the disturbing sexual assault of a 19-year-old student from Anna University, Chennai. The NCW highlights that the accused is a habitual offender, with Tamil Nadu Police failing to act on previous cases. This negligence has emboldened him… pic.twitter.com/ihWhshDkWk
— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2024
Notably, AIADMK cadres who protested against the incident outside the university campus in Chennai were detained.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “Chief Minister M K Stalin has pushed law and order in the state backward. Whenever I pointed out the lapses in the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu, the state government was only keen on opposing my statements. Had it acted promptly, we could have avoided such incidents.”
The campus where the incident happened has 400 CCTV cameras installed within the premises and is located near the Raj Bhavan area of Chennai. The university has advanced face-recognition attendance systems for staff, however, has no stringent measures to restrict outsiders’ entry. The position of vice-chancellor has also vacant since August. University Registrar J Prakash said, “Surveillance cameras are also installed. Despite all that, this unfortunate incident has taken place. Additional security measures will be taken at the university level to ensure that such incidents do not repeat.”
As reported earlier, Gnanasekaran is a repeat offender and has been involved in at least 13 petty crimes, including minor theft and robbery. The police are probing into these cases as well and also probing his involvement in any other assault cases if any.