On 2 January 2024, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Sowmiya Anbumani, along with other party officials, was arrested for attempting to stage a protest against on campus Anna University sexual harassment case.
The PMK, despite the Chennai police denying permission for their planned protest, decided to go ahead and demonstrate as initially announced. In response, the police deployed over 300 personnel around Valluvar Kottam, the designated protest site.
As soon as Sowmiya Anbumani and other PMK members attempted to march, they were promptly arrested and taken away by the police. The protest, organized by the PMK Women’s Wing, was held in condemnation of the sexual assault of an Anna University student.
Speaking to the press, Sowmiya Anbumani said, “How many more women will be sacrificed? A student from Kanchipuram, a student from Anna University, a woman from Thanjavur, and another from Kallakurichi just last week. We don’t know how many more women the government is going to sacrifice. If we come to ask about this, will you arrest us? Everyone is guilty. Instead of arresting the criminals, they are arresting us, the ones protesting for these women. These many police deployed to arrest us – if they had used this to arrest the culprits, it would console us. But instead, they send this many police to arrest us. What kind of justice is this? We strongly condemn it.”
குற்றவாளிகளை கைது பண்ண இத்தன போலீஸ் போல, எங்கள கைது பண்ண இவ்ளோ போலீசா?.. இது என்ன நியாயம்?கொதித்து பேசிய சவுமியா அன்புமணி#Chennai | #DMK | #PMK | #SowmiyaAnbumani | #Protest pic.twitter.com/SJBz2OzDvT
— Polimer News (@polimernews) January 2, 2025
Earlier in the day, in response to the Anna University incident, the PMK mounted a campaign under the slogan “Am I Next?”. Posters bearing this question were plastered across Chennai ahead of the protest at Valluvar Kottam. Soumiya Anbumani, addressing the gathering, called for stringent action against the accused and a thorough investigation into the case, including the alleged involvement of others.
“The safety of our students should be non-negotiable,” she said. “This is not just about one incident but a larger failure to ensure a secure environment for our youth.”
The protest, however, faced resistance from authorities, as the Chennai police denied permission for the gathering, citing security concerns. Despite this, a significant number of protesters assembled, prompting heavy police deployment at the venue to maintain order.
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