In deeply troubling developments, four police officers in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, have been apprehended and relieved of their duties after being accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl on October 5, 2023. According to reports, the incident occurred while the girl was visiting the Mukkombu tourist spot in a moving vehicle with a friend.
The officers in question, now in custody, are identified as Sub-Inspector B. Sasikumar from the Jeeyapuram police station, Traffic Police Officer A. Siddharthan from the same station, J. Prasad from Navalpattu police station, and S. Shankar Rajapandian from the Thiruverumpur Highway Patrol team.
Authorities have filed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against them.
#Trichy Tamil Nadu 4 cops raped a 17 years old girl!
Massive outrage in public, @NCPCR_ @KanoongoPriyank shall intervene to ensure punishment to guilty @TrichyCityPolic @TrichyPolice officers as @mkstalin @CMOTamilnadu busy in eradicating #SanatanDharma so no hopes from him!… pic.twitter.com/uSdIHSubOP— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) October 6, 2023
The incident took place last week at Mukkombu, a prominent tourist destination in Tiruchirappalli. The minor girl and her 19-year-old boyfriend were approached by four men in plain clothes, who identified themselves as policemen and proceeded to interrogate the couple.
The situation escalated when the girl’s boyfriend was physically assaulted, and she was forcibly placed in a car under the pretext of a drug-related inquiry. Allegedly, the girl was sexually assaulted in the moving vehicle for approximately an hour by the intoxicated assailants.
Subsequently, the victim was released, but not before being threatened with arrest on drug-related charges if she disclosed the incident to anyone.
However, the minor victim was courageous enough to file a case of sexual assault, and further investigations into the matter are currently underway.
The suspension and arrests of the four policemen were initiated following a complaint filed by the minor girl. Trichy District Superintendent of Police Varun Kumar has assured the public that appropriate action will be taken against the accused officers.
This incident has raised questions about the state of law and order in Tamil Nadu, especially when the DMK is in power. It is to be remembered that the DMK promised dawn if it came to power. The question is whether it was a promise of the dawn of good times or bad times.
