News Special Reports Tamil Nadu

Was Mahavishnu Controversy A Decoy To Distract Attention From These Sexual Assault Cases?

September 9, 2024
The Commune

It appears that ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is using Mahavishnu to deflect attention from a disturbing rise in sexual violence in the state. Despite serious cases such as a government doctor molesting minors repeated at a church-run hostel while his headmistress mother protected him and a woman being raped by a minister’s driver, the DMK and its media remained silent on them

Instead, the media outlets concentrated on the Paramporul Foundation speaker, who discussed Thirukkural, rebirth, and karma at schools. This dramatic focus on Mahavishnu seems like a carefully crafted decoy to obscure these pressing sexual assault issues and protect the party’s image as the 2026 elections approach.

Sudden Limelight On Mahavishnu

It was pretty bizarre for two to three days that an individual named Mahavishnu abruptly garnered media attention. Every DMK media outlet portrayed him as some international criminal wanted for offences in Tamil Nadu, even though he had only delivered a motivational speech at two government schools discussing Thirukkural, rebirth, and karma. However, the ruling DMK government pursued him like an international fugitive, potentially creating a larger threat to the public.

This spotlight on Mahavishnu seems like a diversion from other news of rising sexual crimes in Tamil Nadu that the DMK wished to keep out of the spotlight, particularly from the opposition.

Tamil Nadu is currently grappling with a troubling increase in sexual assault against women and children. For instance, three particularly severe cases in Trichy alone underscore this crisis. These incidents reveal significant shortcomings in the state’s criminal justice system, which has repeatedly failed to support victims effectively.

What is especially alarming is the perpetrators’ brazen lack of fear, with assaults occurring in broad daylight within the victims’ neighbourhoods.

Trichy Rape Survivor Accuses Minister’s Driver

In a disturbing incident in the Trichy, a woman was gang raped and blackmailed by a group of six men, the perpetrator pretended to be in love with her, even when the rape survivor who bravely came forward to report her attackers, one of whom was identified as a minister’s driver. The media disgracefully chose to suppress the news of the assault, instead focusing on a decades-old harassment claim made by a film star.

After filing a formal complaint with the Trichy SP, the rape survivor spoke to news reporters. She said, “I’m studying at an ITI college. I visit my hometown on weekends. When I arrived, the boy Silambarasan forced me to take in his vehicle. He, along with four or five individuals, took me and ruined my life, sir. They kept calling me repeatedly. When I refused to go to them, they threatened that they would release a video they had taken of me. He continued to take me to his home and farm. He severely ruined my life, sir. Last month, he bought a tablet for me himself. Twenty days ago, he bought it and gave it to me. He said we would finish things from here. I will pay you, he said, sir.”

She revealed that the perpetrator worked for Tamil Nadu education minister Anbil Mahesh. She said, “He is said to be a driver for Anbil Mahesh, sir. Only the SP office can give me justice. He took me on April 13.”

When the journalists inquired if there was a threat, the victim mentioned that four to five individuals had threatened her, particularly Silambarasan, who threatened to release a video he recorded and blackmailed her whenever she returned home; they would take her to his residence or farm. The victim’s mother also stated that Silambarasan had emotionally tormented her daughter, claiming that he came with friends four to five times, threatening her, abducting her, and raping her. She further noted that he initially admitted to the acts, but now he denies them and dares anyone to speak up, asserting that they will face repercussions.

Govet Doctor & School Headmistress Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Minors In Trichy Church-run Hostel

Dr. S. Samson Daniel (31), a government doctor, was arrested under the POCSO Act on allegations of sexually assaulting minor girls at a hostel affiliated with a minority run government-aided school in Trichy. His mother, S. Grace Sagayarani (54), who is the headmistress of the school, was also taken into custody for allegedly helping to cover up the offenses.

Daniel, from Palakkarai in Trichy, was employed as a doctor at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Anbil near Lalgudi. He frequently visited the school hostel under the pretense of conducting health checkups. During these visits, he is accused of inappropriately touching girls aged between five and ten. A concerned parent reported this abuse to the childline helpline, 1098.

Following the report, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Rahul Gandhi, District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) Vijayalakshmi, and two social workers visited the hostel on 2 August 2024. They interviewed 42 children, who revealed that Daniel had been assaulting them during his health checkups over the past few months. Based on their findings, the Fort All Women Police arrested the doctor under the POCSO Act, and the investigation is ongoing.

On 4 September 2024, while being taken to the hospital for a medical examination before his court appearance, the doctor verbally abused the media and attempted to attack them. The police intervened and successfully restrained Daniel before proceeding to the hospital.

The charges against Dr. Samson Daniel and his mother, S. Grace Sagayarani, are reminiscent of the RG Kar incident. In both instances, individuals entrusted with the care and safety of vulnerable girls/women were accused of blatant crimes. The RG Kar case, involving the rape and murder of a female resident doctor, highlighted the pervasive issue of sexual violence within healthcare institutions.

Similarly, the allegations against Dr. Daniel expose the potential for abuse to occur even within seemingly safe spaces like schools. Sadly, there is no outrage from the civil society to seek justice for the Trichy hostel’s students who that doctor abused.

NIT-T Students Protest Over Victim Shaming

In a separate incident in Trichy, students at the National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NIT-T) organized a campus protest, accusing both the hostel management and local police of victim-shaming a student who had reportedly been sexually harassed.

The demonstration followed an incident where a technician allegedly tried to masturbate in front of the student while fixing a Wi-Fi device in her room. The protesting students asserted that hostel authorities blamed the victim rather than addressing the issue. Additionally, when the students reported the incident to the police, the victim reportedly faced inappropriate comments about her clothing.

DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Targets Mahavishnu

Critics link all these incidents to DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh as Trichy is a stronghold for him. They argue that these issues have the potential to significantly impact the government, especially if the opposition seizes on them. This situation parallels the public outrage over the recent rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata, which led to widespread protests.

If the Tanjore issue gains traction, it could tarnish the DMK’s reputation, especially with the 2026 elections approaching. In response, the DMK and its mouthpiece media have suppressed news of these sexual abuse incidents and instead focused on Mahavishnu, who has been arrested and is under investigation for 20 days, only for his public statements being limited to spiritual philosophy.

Conclusion

Despite his harmless activities, the DMK relentlessly pursues Mahavishnu as a blatant distraction from the urgent issues of sexual assaults plaguing Tamil Nadu.

By shifting the narrative away from severe cases of sexual violence, including the horrendous abuse by a government doctor and a minister’s driver, the ruling party is attempting to shield itself from accountability. This orchestrated limelight on Paramporul Foundation’s Mahavishnu by DMK media reveals a troubling disregard for the state’s escalating crisis in protecting women and children. As Tamil Nadu nears the 2026 elections, the spotlight on Mahavishnu highlights a more resounding, unsettling truth: the DMK’s priority is less about addressing the real problems and more about safeguarding its political stature.

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