Chennai Shocker: Roadside vendor threatened rape victim to keep meeting after assault, took her number

The alleged sexual assault of a second-year engineering student of Chennai’s Anna University on campus on 23 December and the arrest of the accused roadside biryani vendor Gnanasekaran on 25 December has led to BJP and AIADMK attack on Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, reported Indian Express.

According to the report, the opposition claimed that the accused had links to Chief Minister M K Stalin’s party, which DMK has denied.

Informing about the incident, the police stated that the alleged case took place around 8 pm Monday when the victim was chatting with a male friend in a remote part of the 180-acre campus.

“Gnanasekaran approached the students and threatened them by saying he had taken their video. He then demanded that the male friend 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,” Indian Express quoted an officer as saying.

The victim contacted the police on Tuesday morning and also filed a complaint with the university’s Internal Complaints Committee for Prevention of Sexual Harassment.

Police registered the case under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and after this, four teams were formed by the Kotturpuram all-women police to apprehend the accused.

After reviewing the CCTV footage, the police identified Gnanasekaran as the suspect.

Looking at 37-year-old Gnanasekaran past records, his name appears to be in at least 13 petty crimes, including minor theft and robbery.

“He also threatened the survivor by taking her phone number, saying she must meet him whenever he called her,” an officer told The Indian Express.

Aftereffects of the incident:

Following the incident, widespread criticism of security measures at Anna University – located near the high-security Raj Bhavan and IIT Madras – has erupted.

Despite having over 400 CCTV cameras, and advanced face-recognition attendance systems for staff, the varsity has no stringent measures to restrict outsiders’ entry. Also, the varsity has also not had a vice-chancellor since August.

However, University Registrar J Prakash denies allegations of security lapse and said that security personnel were always on duty on the university campus. “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,” he said.

NCW takes suo moto cognizance:

The National Commission for Women has taken suo moto cognizance of the incident and its Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has directed the Tamil Nadu DGP to ensure free medical care and protection for the victim.

“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 to commit such crimes, raising serious concerns about the collapsing law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has directed the TN DGP to ensure free medical care and protection for the victim, add Sec 71 of BNS, 2023, to the FIR for stricter punishment and take action against officers for publicly revealing the victim’s identity,” NCW said.

Politics over rape:

The opposition has been attacking the ruling government ever since the incident came to limelight.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “Chief Minister M K Stalin has pushed law and order in the state backwards. 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.”

BJP state president K Annamalai said, “Tamil Nadu, under the DMK government, has become a breeding ground for unlawful activities and a haven for criminals. Women don’t feel safe in the state anymore, as the police are kept busy by the ruling administration to silence the Opposition.”

“The BJP Tamil Nadu demands that the Chief Minister take responsibility at least now, and address the people on the status of this sexual assault case in Anna University and do justice to the portfolio he holds,” Annamalai said.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathi clarified that Gnanasekaran is ‘not even an ordinary party member’ and was arrested in a matter of five-six hours of complaint.

Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan stated, “Steps will be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Those who are trying to politicise the issue should not forget the Pollachi sexual assault cases (that took place under the AIADMK regime).”