A DMK MLA has justified molestation saying that his party cadres hands might have touched the woman by mistake and the latter could have been sensitive. The victim, a policewoman, has allegedly withdrawn her complaint as the molesters apologized to her. DMK cadre had refused to let police take the molesters even though they were caught on the spot.
The policewoman, a constable on duty at a DMK rally on January 1, was seen crying towards the end of the event. Upon enquiry her colleagues found that she was molested by 2 DMK men Ekambaram and Praveen. Constable Kesavan who noticed the woman being harassed immediately came to her help. Inspector Thomas Xavier who also took notice of the incident tried to catch the molesters as they tried to flee.
But they were surrounded by DMK cadres who argued with them and stopped them from taking the culprits. They were told to “file FIR if necessary”. The victim had filed a complaint but later details emerged that she allegedly withdrew it as the molesters apologized to her. Prabhakar Raja, a DMK MLA who was at the site and stopped police from taking the molesters, denied that his party workers molested the policewoman and justified it saying “their hand might have touched by mistake.”
India Today reported that he said, “There are no clips of molesting the woman constable. I inquired and they said that it was just a push and pull. They are not womanisers. Maybe hand might have touched by mistake. The woman officer would have been sensitive”. After the opposition criticised DMK for shielding the culprits, the party suspended both men for bringing ill repute. Later they were arrested by police. It is unclear on whose complaint they were arrested if the news about the victim withdrawing her complaint is true.
DMK MP Kanimozhi who is usually vociferous about women’s rights has been conspicuously silent about the incident. While DMK attempts to take the Dravidian Model to neighbouring states and at national level claiming it to be the most advanced development and social justice model, even police women are not safe from their party cadre.
