Despite the horrific details emerging from the Anna University sexual assault case FIR, which describes the victim being subjected to a terrifying ordeal, some Dravidianist leaders have publicly questioned the victim’s choices, saying she deserved the “punishment” for venturing out in the late hours of the evening to meet her boyfriend in a secluded location.
The Anna University sexual assault case has sent shockwaves in the society with demands of action against the perpetrator echoing from all quarters. However, Dravidianist leaders who speak up for women’s empowerment are now singing a different tune.
Speaking to a news channel, senior Advocate Tamizh Mani said, “I have to say one thing. This is the right punishment for that girl. Yes, I stand by that. Every night after dinner at 8PM, she goes and meets a man who is studying in the third year, in a nook, behind an old building, without anyone’s notice, if she is sitting and talking, then why are you hiding it? This is the reason. If you sit in a deserted place with a man, what else will happen. Only something like this will happen. You are inviting trouble.”
🤬"The girl deserved what happened to her for having gone to a secluded place with her boyfriend"…🤬
Look at the kind of "experts" Tamil news channels invite to discuss such a sensitive topic. Even the rebuttal is very meek by the anchor.#AnnaUniversity #Chennai #Tamilnadu pic.twitter.com/gPoM5EYjie
— Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 (@saikirankannan) December 29, 2024
DMK leader and former T. Nagar MLA V. P. Kalairajan, during a televised debate on the Anna University sexual harassment case, blamed the victim for her assault. He criticized her choice of companion, suggesting that trusting the wrong person led to her suffering. While acknowledging that love is a right and part of cultural heritage, he framed the incident as the woman’s “mistake” for not choosing wisely. He further remarked that the companion failed to protect her, leaving her vulnerable.
Background
On 23 December 2024, a woman, who was in a two-year relationship with a fellow student, was attacked while spending time with her boyfriend at a secluded spot on campus.
Two unknown individuals approached the couple, assaulted the boyfriend, and sexually harassed the woman. The assailants forced her to strip, filmed her without consent, threatened her, and fled the scene. The traumatized victim later reported the incident to the Kotturpuram police.
In connection with the case, police have arrested 37-year-old Gnanasekaran, a roadside biryani vendor from Kotturpuram with multiple pending cases against him. The police have filed charges under Section 64 of the BNSS and are actively investigating the matter.
The victim also lodged a complaint with the university’s POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) committee. Meanwhile, the Chennai police, in collaboration with the university, are working to enhance campus security.
However, it emerged that the accused Gnanasekaran is a repeat offender and a DMK functionary. Pictures circulating on social media show him alongside several prominent DMK leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and Minister Ma. Subramanian.
FIR Reveals Shocking Details
The shocking details came to light after the All Women Police Station (AWPS) in Raja Annamalai Puram filed the FIR, which reveals a sequence of terrifying events that unfolded on 23 December 2024, within the Anna University campus.
The FIR states that Gnanasekaran filmed the survivor and her boyfriend on the campus before taking things to a terrifying level. He allegedly threatened to leak the footage to the university dean and the couple’s parents unless the student complied with his demands.
He then forcibly took the survivor to a secluded area behind the Highway Lab Building and the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) department building, where he presented her with three horrifying options: one, to be expelled from the university by the dean based on the footage he threatened to release; two, to “spend time” with him; and three, to “spend time” with another man who had reportedly called the accused before the assault.
The Assault
According to the FIR, after making these threats, Gnanasekaran sexually assaulted the survivor between 7:45 PM and 8:20 PM on 23 December 2024. He also took a picture of her college ID card and extracted her father’s contact information from her phone before fleeing the scene. The survivor, in her written complaint, described how Gnanasekaran had received a phone call from an unknown person, during which he mentioned threatening the girl and leaving her.
The police investigation revealed that Gnanasekaran is no stranger to criminal activity, with seven other pending cases against him, including charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for lurking house-trespass and theft. He has now been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections for rape and sexual harassment.
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