Chennai: The Tamil Nadu unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Wednesday met Governor R.N. Ravi and submitted a memorandum demanding justice for the Anna University student who was allegedly sexually assaulted.
ABVP, in the memorandum to Governor R.N. Ravi, sought measures to ensure safe and secure campuses for women.
The memorandum, submitted by ABVP’s national secretary, Shravan P. Raj, highlighted the incident of sexual harassment at Anna University and the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu.
It also condemned the arrest of ABVP students who were protesting peacefully and democratically.
The memorandum demanded that the investigation into the sexual harassment case be completed quickly and that the victim be provided with complete justice.
It also called for measures to ensure safety and security in university and college campuses, including the appointment of vice-chancellors to universities immediately.
Other demands include taking strong action against drug abuse in educational institutions, preventing political interference in educational campuses, and ensuring that all educational institutions have a safe and secure environment for students.
It may be recalled that a second-year engineering student of Anna University was sexually assaulted on Christmas eve.
The girl and her male friend, who was a senior student of the University were sitting in a secluded area of the campus after attending a midnight Christmas mass at a nearby church.
According to the complaint filed by the girl, the accused attacked the male friend, brutally thrashed him before dragging the girl to a nearby shrub and raped her.
Police immediately swung into action and arrested a 37-year-old wayside biriyani vendor, Gnanshekharan for raping the student.
It may be noted that the Tamil Nadu BJP president, K.Annamalai conducted a dramatic protest outside his residence in Coimbatore, flogging himself six times to symbolise the deteriorating law and order situation of Tamil Nadu and to highlight the sexual assault against the Anna University girl student.
Annamalai also announced that he would undertake a 48-day fast and visit all six holy abodes of Lord Murugan as part of his protest.
The Tamil Nadu BJP president lashed out at the Tamil Nadu police for leaking the FIR in the sexual assault case, stating that the leak intentionally revealed the identity of the 19-year-old victim, an engineering student of Anna University.
He charged that the accused, Gnanashekaran, was not on the rowdy list of the Tamil Nadu police despite being involved in several cases. Annamalai said that this was due to the accused Gnanashekaran’s proximity to the DMK leaders.
The Tamil Nadu BJP chief, who is also a former IPS officer said that the accused, Gnanashekaran, was a functionary of the DMK and provided proof of the same.
He also said that the DMK was trying to divert attention on the failing law and order situation of Tamil Nadu by creating a false narrative of the North -South divide.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) will present a report to the government of India on the sexual assault case at Anna University.
NCW member Mamta Kumari and her team returned to Delhi after conducting a two-day investigation into the sexual assault that took place on the Anna University campus.
Speaking to mediapersons at Chennai airport, Mamta Kumari said: “We visited every corner of Anna University and conducted a thorough investigation. We met the affected girl and her family and gathered all necessary information. We also met with the Governor of Tamil Nadu to discuss the matter.”
“A detailed report on the investigation will be submitted to the central government through the National Commission for Women. Whoever is found guilty will face strict punishment. It is shocking that despite having over 20 cases against him, the accused was allowed to roam free.”
Mamta Kumari further questioned, “Why didn’t the government take action earlier? The central government will ensure strict action against anyone who commits crimes against women.”
She expressed confidence that justice would be served and that the guilty parties would be punished.
(IANS)
