An army jawan’s video begging for the protection of his wife living in Tamil Nadu has gone viral on social media. The jawan alleged that his wife was attacked by a mob of 120 in a dispute about the shop she runs. Tamil Nadu police have claimed that his allegations are exaggerated. The wife has sustained injuries and has difficulty breathing and urinating following the attack.
— Lt Col N Thiagarajan Veteran (@NTR_NationFirst) June 10, 2023
Recently, a video of Havildar Prabhakaran from Padavedu village in Tiruvannamalai, TN has gone viral on social media. The jawan went on his knees and folded his hands to beg the TN police to protect his wife and family. He said that 120 men attacked his family and his wife was stripped half-naked. BJP and veteran organisations took note of his video and extended help.
TN BJP President K Annamalai condemned police inaction and demanded action against those who attacked the jawan’s wife. As the issue gained traction, Tiruvannamalai district police issued a statement claiming that the jawan’s allegations are exaggerated and that his wife was not assaulted. The statement issued by police said that the land where the jawan’s wife runs a shop was owned by one Kumar. Reports say that the land belongs to Shri Renugambal temple in the village and that it was leased to one Kumar.
Kumar reportedly constructed a complex and ‘rented’ a shop in it to one Selvamurthy(jawan’s father-in-law). Kumar received Rs 9.5 lakhs from the latter as advance and Rs 3000 per month in the form of ‘rent’. After Kumar passed away his son Ramu wanted the shop back and asked Selvamurthy to vacate it. It appears that a katta panchayat(khap) was held in this regard to solve the dispute and both parties allegedly agreed to return the money and shop to the respective people on 10.02.2023.
@republic @IndiaToday @IndiaTodayFLASH @ndtv @CNN @BBCBreaking @BBCBreaking @APBusiness @CNNnews18 @CNBCTV18news @TimesNow @ndtvindia @News18India @indiatvnews @INDIATVNEWS24X1 @indiatvnews @ANI @tnpoliceoffl pic.twitter.com/QMWZOM1h7E
— Tiruvannamalai District Police (@TVMalaiPolice) June 12, 2023
TN police claim that Selvamurthy neither accepted the money nor vacated the shop. On June 10 around 10 am, Ramu went to the shop and asked Selvamurthy to accept the money and vacate the shop. Police’s version says that Selvamuthy’s son Jeeva attacked Ramu with a knife and the neighbouring shop owners came to his aid and ransacked the shop. Their statement says that even though the jawan’s wife Keerthi and her mother were inside the shop at that time, they were not attacked and that the jawan’s accusations are exaggerated.
However, as per an India Today report, Keerthi has injuries on her hands and told their reporter that she has difficulty breathing and passing urine and the mob kicked in her chest and underbelly. In another video shared by a BJP functionary, she says that she was constantly harassed and feared for her life. She accused the other party of holding katta panchayat and threatening her. Her mangal sutra was pulled and she was inappropriately touched by the mob. She is afraid of returning to the village and told India Today that the police wrote their own version of the events.
With a tearful face and fearful voice, she said, “More than 40 people attacked me. They verbally abused me using obscene language. They also touched me inappropriately. They are not letting our family live in peace. They are threatening me”. She further said that her brother Jeeva attacked Ramu with a knife only in self-defence and to protect her. Ramesh Shiva, President of TN BJP Youth Wing shared some pictures claiming that DMK goons dumped gravel in front of the shop.
Listen to the Cries of the Wife of the Army Man Mr. Prabakaran, as in tears she explains how the goons of the ruling party DMK have harassed her and have her threatened her life and her livelihood.
— Ramesh Shivaa (@ShivaaBJYM) June 11, 2023
Unfortunately this is a regular scene across the State as every common woman in… https://t.co/Aydn224Ry1 pic.twitter.com/6GqJi0JzPZ
Police have released CCTV footage claiming that the jawan’s family initiated the attack. YouTurn, a pro-DMK fact-check portal, shared a video of locals saying that Selvamurthy is a repeat offender who destroys families. However, as per a Vikatan report locals said, “Ramu and his accomplices broke the CCTVs in the neighbourhood before starting the altercation”. Meanwhile, revenue officials have claimed that the concerned land is a waterbody and has been encroached on by those who built shops on it.
Both parties have filed complaints against each other and police arrested Hari Prasad and Selvaraj who were named by Keerthi. It must be noted that the jawan had to go on his knees to request the Superintendent of Police(SP) only after local police failed to take any action against the attackers. Keerthi is hospitalized and has been given police protection. Police under the DMK government and the media seem to be too keen on painting the jawan’s family as the aggressors. Dravidianist accounts on social media are trying to set a narrative that it is a ploy of the BJP to spoil the state and the ‘Dravidian Model’ government’s name.
It is to be noted that as per the police’s version of events, Ramu’s dad got the land on lease from the HRCE department. Temple lands are leased for a measly amount by the department. Many don’t pay the lease/rent for decades and they are valued at only a few lakhs when the property is located in villages. It is curious that in a village like Padavedu, a shop was sublet for Rs 3000 and that Rs 9.5 lakh had to be paid in advance. It is unclear whether it was leased, rented or sold. It does appear to be a case of a civil dispute involving an irresponsible HRCE department. Even though both sides were injured, police and media try to paint the jawan’s family as the wrong-doers.
A few months ago, another jawan was beaten to death by a DMK man and police tried to cover it up saying that it was a family dispute. When other army men came forward to expose mistreatment, police claimed that their charges were false and threatened those who shared the expose with legal action. Considering this history, what police and the DMK government claim in Havildar Prabhakaran and his wife Keethi’s case might have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
