The selective amnesia of Tamil Nadu media, thanks to the appeasement policies and biased police machinery, the growing incidents involving minority community members in sexual assaults and other crimes that are under-reported or hushed up is a real concern for all peace-loving state people.
A Government-aided Muslim school correspondent Kutubuddin Najib, his wife, and the school principal have been arrested under POCSO Act for allegedly sexually harassing three girls of Class 12. “More than 500 girls study in this particular school. It is alleged that Kutubuddin Najib sexually harassed some Class 12 girls in recent days. His wife, Mohideen Fathima and the school principal Kadharammal rejected the girls’ complaints. The survivors narrated the incident to their friends, who staged a sit-in protest against the correspondent on the school premises. They were arrested on February 5.
A 37-year-old Ranipet resident Mohammed Upesh has been arrested on charges of targeting unmarried women on matrimony sites and conning them of huge amounts of cash and jewels on the promise of marrying them. Based on a 25-year-old Pudukootai victim was traced in Erode, where he was hiding. He has allegedly conned six young women.
In Kancheepuram-based, unemployed brothers Aladdin and Wahid are both arrested for creating fake social media profiles to make friends with gullible women and then morphing their photos and blackmailing them. Police said they used the photographs of a young actor who had acted in some recent movies in their social media profiles. The duo threatened women with uploading photos into intimate poses. Fearing, one of the women, Paid two lakh rupees, and when they asked for more money, she approached the police with a complaint. Police found morphed photographs of several women on their mobile and laptops.
During the probe, police found the duo lured small-time actors to share their photos, promising them get them roles in films and serials.
In January this year, In Periyakulam, the husband of Abubakar Siddika, 35, who allegedly killed his wife Ramzan Begum by hitting her in the face and pressing her to death with a pillow, was arrested by the Vadakarai police after the post-mortem revealed that it was murder. Abubakar Siddiqui, the grocery shop owner, told his relatives that he died due to illness, but his mother-in-law lodged a suspicious death complaint. During the investigation, he told the police that he had killed his wife.
On February 5, 2023, three Muslim women dressed in burqas entered the temple at around 11:15 AM and went around the Shiva and Amman shrines. Despite having separate dress codes for men and women inside the temple, neither the police nor the HR&CE staff prevented Muslim women from entering the temple. They went around the temple, including the sanctum sanctorum taking pictures unopposed. They are yet to be identified and arrested.
In another incident, Thoothukudi police registered a case against Anthony Satvic for sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl. The parents of the girl, who were getting to go to Church festivals, heard their daughter crying for help. When they rushed, they found the man was sexually assaulting her.
Rajan is a Pentecostal Christian priest from Thiruvalluvar Street in Tirumullaivaayil next to Aavadi in Chennai and has been accused of sexual harassment of Christian women during night prayers while under the influence of marijuana.
He is currently employed as a van driver in a private school in the Tirumullaivaayil area. He has been performing night prayers at Aavadi, Thirumullaivaayil, Ambathur, Kattur Arikambaedu, and Pallavaram Tambaram. It is learnt that he speaks obscenely to women alone at home, promising to pray for them over the phone. People who know him say that his only job is to go door to door, praying in the name of Jesus in the morning and drinking alcohol from TASMAC shops in the evening with the money he earns. He is also said to be addicted to hans and ganja (Marijuana).
According to reports, he established a congregation while working in Trichy’s Perambalur area, where he allegedly raped some women during an all-night prayer and was later chased out of town. On January 23, 2023, under the influence of ganja and alcohol, the Christian pastor Rajan spat on the face of a journalist from the Thirumullaivayil area. Despite the journalist’s complaint to the police, no action was taken against the alleged Christian pastor.
Tamil Nadu police have arrested a pastor for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl staying at the hostel ‘hostel’ for children and women run by him and his wife.
When the girl refused to go back to the hostel after the Christmas holidays, she told her about the sexual assault, and the pastor threatened her not to tell anyone about the abuse. The parents of the victim were introduced to pastor Andrews in the church they frequent, they admitted the victim and her brother to the institute, and the siblings went to school from there. On December 14, the girl skipped evening prayers and stayed in her room, pleading with health issues. Pastor Andrews, who was on rounds, came upon her and sexually assaulted her. They filed a complaint with the local police, who booked the pastor under the POCSO Act.
Some say that the pastor’s wife refused to take the siblings in, saying that they were undisciplined. Upon investigating the kids, the parents coerced the story out of the girl. They filed a complaint with the local police, who booked the pastor under the POCSO Act.
Upon hearing the habeas corpus writ filed by the wife of the accused, the Madras High Court confirmed the detentions order passed under the Goondas act against a teacher who sexually assaulted girl students studying in a Government-aided school in Thoothukudi district.
Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the DMK Government had implemented several schemes for the benefit of the Christian community in the past 20 months. Addressing a 4th national conference of the Synod of Pentecostal Churches at Madurai through video-conferencing, he said schemes include allocating five crores for the renovation of churches and two crores to provide loans for Christian women self-help groups.
After assuring CSI and RC of all Government benefits earlier, the DMK Government is now trying to woo the Pentecost group. TN Assembly Speaker Appavu, minister and son of M K Stalin, who said he was proud saying a Christian after marriage, another minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, former union minister A Raja have been made pro-minority and rabid Hindu phobic remarks.
Tamil Nadu Police had prohibited Tamil Hindu devotees from Pasiyaapuram village near Keezhadi in Thiribuvanam in Sivaganga district from travelling to Madurai district to take a holy dip in the Vaigai river, a 30-year-old tradition. In Mandaikaadu, shops are being auctioned and allotted by Christian groups for the ensuing next month’s Masi festival at the Bhagavathi Amman temple, which attracts a large gathering. Hindu Munnani leader Jayakumar said St.Lucian Cathedral has been indulging in these unlawful activities. He said efforts are being made to prevent Hindu Munnani from holding a conference there.
Tamil Nadu Police had prohibited Tamil Hindu devotees from Pasiyaapuram village near Keezhadi in Thiribuvanam in Sivaganga district from travelling to Madurai district to take a holy dip in the Vaigai River, a 30-year-old tradition.
Near Hosur, hundreds of people blocked the Chennai-Bangalaru National Highway, protesting against the denial of permission for the bull race on February 2. They vandalised government Buses.
In Mandaikaadu in the Kanyakumari district, shops are being auctioned and allotted by Christian groups for the ensuing next month’s Masi festival at the Bhagavathi Amman temple, which attracts a large gathering. Hindu Munnani leader Jayakumar said St. Lucian Cathedral indulges in these unlawful activities.
The Tamil Nadu police are toeing the government line allegedly, acting in a partisan manner. Politicians who make anti-Hindu comments are sparred, but who make comments on minorities are arrested even without complaints. The Madras HC has directed Vinayagar Chuthurthi organisers to get NoC from Muslim jamaats to install idols. The procession, even the tri-colour national flag march, and RSS path sanchalan were denied permission. DMK and its police tried to pass off the Coimbatore lone wolf terror attack as a car cylinder blast. Had not the NIA probe, it would have remained so.
Tamil Nadu Police had prohibited Tamil Hindu devotees from Pasiyaapuram village near Keezhadi in Thiribuvanam in Sivaganga district from travelling to Madurai district to take a holy dip in the Vaigai River, a 30-year-old tradition
“In Tamil Nadu, there is a tendency and practice among the mainline journalists and media to hush up crime stories involving people from minority communities. And even if they do publish it would be a filler single column news without mentioning the name of the accused merely saying a man, a tailor, mutton shop worker etc. Why do they want to hide their identities? For whom they (journalists) are serving? But if it is a Hindu they mention his name, address, his past history minus the astrological chart etc. ?” Point out senior journalists Sriram and Praveen.
“People in the state are now accustomed to such news reporting and conclude if no name is mentioned, then they must be from minority communities. Hushing up such news is a crime. The police printouts or the court orders have their names, father’s name, age address and other details. When such details available in public domain what prevents from mentioning their names? They debate hours together anything on Modi, BJP,RSS . They never talk or debate on the ruling DMK government, and its total failure but lending support blindly .
The media, which supports BBC documentary, opposed appointment of HC additional judge etc. it supports Stalin govt’s plan to build pen memorial at Marina on government funds, is fully aware that it will be environmental factor. The media conveniently ignore anything that related to DMK, Congress, left parties and Hindus,” they said.
“We are not against extending benefits to minority communities at the same time Hindus not be persecuted and denied their lawful rights, privileges. Forming of a strong and vibrant Hindu vote bank would be the only panacea for the minority appeasement mania,” VHP, Hindu Munnani leaders say.
