Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan yesterday lashed out at the AIADMK government led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami for its silence on the Pollachi sexual abuse-cum-blackmail case.
In a video clip uploaded on his Twitter account, Kamal Haasan attacked the state government for its inaction and threatening the complainants/victims.
Kamal Haasan charged the government with revealing the name of the victim and scaring away the students who protested on the road by manhandling them.
The students who came to register their just anger in an honest manner were removed forcibly by the police. The students are asking whether this police force would ensure their safety, Kamal Haasan said.
“Don’t you hear Mr CM?” Kamal Haasan posted.
Recalling late chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s statement that sexual assault on women will be considered as a serious crime and will be probed by senior officials, Kamal Haasan said the government has not done anything to protect the victims.
He said the police officer investigating the case had revealed the name of the victim in a press meet. The current AIADMK claiming to run the government in the footsteps of Jayalalithaa has not taken any action Kamal Haasan said adding “how can the officials be so careless and lethargic in this regard.”
Meanwhile, a court in Coimbatore yesterday permitted the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) to take Thirunavukkarasu, the prime accused in the case, into custody for four days.
With a huge crowd gathered outside the court, Thirunavukkarasu attended the hearing via video conference. The Tamil Nadu government has already transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Four persons – Thirunavukkarasu, Sathish, Sabarirajan, Vasanthakumar – all in their 20s, have been accused of sexually assaulting women in Pollachi and filming the act to blackmail them for over seven years.
Protests are being held across Tamil Nadu demanding punishment for the culprits.
In Pollachi, about 2,000 people including members of different social organisations formed a human chain asking for a court-monitored probe by the CBI in the case.
The protesting organisations included the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) as well as political parties like the Congress, MDMK, MNM and TMMK.
Demonstrations were also reported from Kumbakonam and Chennai.
The Madurai Bench of the Chennai High Court yesterday ordered the central government to remove all the videos related to the assaults from the Internet.
The court also recommended to the state government to take departmental action against the officials who revealed the identity of the victim, observing that other victims would not come forward to lodge complaints fearing similar exposure.
“The cries of the victim is still echoing in our ears,” the judges said. “If the identity of the victim is revealed, how will anyone come forward against such atrocities?” 
The court also directed the state to advertise that sharing and circulation of such videos was an offence and suggested including a chapter on cyber crimes in schools.

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