Hours after the Pollachi sexual assault case was transferred to CB-CID, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday transferred it to the central agency CBI. The decision seems to have been prompted by public outrage that poured out on roads and across social media. Political leaders, cutting across party lines, have also demanded stringent investigation and action. Three men who molested many women and videographed their acts were arrested in February and the main accused Thirunavukarasu was arrested on March 5. The four accused have been booked under Goondas Act. Thirunavukarasu’s bail plea was on Tuesday rejected by a Pollachi court.
The issue snowballed with DMK MP M Kanimozhi staging a protest in Pollachi district demanding a fair and thorough probe into the incident. On Sunday, the police cracked down on the gang and seized a video that showed a group of men molesting a young woman, pleading to let her go. Only one of the women, who was allegedly abused, filed a complaint, said the police.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Tuesday, criticised the national media and comparing the coverage to the 2016 Nirbhaya gangrape case, observed that "no importance was being given to the Pollachi sexual abuse cases." While DMK's MK Stalin accused the state ruling AIADMK of playing politics over the cases of sexual abuse, actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan urged the police to speed up investigation in the horrific cases of sexual assault against college-going women students.
