The increase in crime against women and children, including sexual attacks in the recent past, has left a clear message that underscores the audacity of perpetrators, inadequate security and police presence. Societal indifference also plays a vital rise in such acts.
The article tries to present some recent incidents of sexual attacks on women, child both girls and boys. Incidents like the rape of 10 years old by her neighbour in Chennai, sexual assaults on girls by a doctor son of a govt aided Christian school HM in Trichy, gang rapes of a college girl by a Minister’s car driver and a working woman. In the 10-year-old girl case, the HC transferred the probe to the CBI, saying there was a lack of faith in the Tamil Nadu police.
On October 25, a Class 11 standard 15-year-old female student who was alone at home was sexually assaulted by a person who barged into her home when her parents were not present. Reports say the man knocked on the door asking for water. When she went to fetch water, he forcefully assaulted her. When their parents saw their daughter in a half-naked and semiconscious condition, they took her to the doctor and informed the Police.
Headmaster of Basmar Penta Govt. Higher Secondary school, Udhayakumar (53), was arrested under Pocso in October for sexual misbehaviour with female students. After a probe, action was taken.
In the third week of October, Kishore, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his friends Rithish and Venkat took a minor girl and gang-raped them. However, the other two were arrested for Venkat, who is still at large.
In another incident, 24-year-old Vijayrani of Sunguwarchatram near Kanchipuram was stabbed in the neck by her ex-boyfriend with whom she had avoided a relationship. This took place on October 25 night. On hearing her screams, a passerby rescued her and admitted her to a hospital, where she is recovering. Police are on the lookout for Perumal.
On October 16, Police arrested four M Murali, J Dhanasekar, his brother Thirunavukkuarasu and P Pragalathan, all in their early 20s, for sexually assaulting a VIII student. The girl, a resident of Tindivanam, said they befriended them online and invited her to meet them. When she went to meet them, they took her to an isolated place. They are from the same village.
#NewsUpdate | 13 வயது சிறுமிக்கு கூட்டாக பாலியல் துன்புறுத்தல் – 4 இளைஞர்கள் கைது#SunNews | #Villupuram | #PocsoAct pic.twitter.com/CUvl5zu2Uu
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) October 16, 2024
Police arrested 23-year-old youth M Selvakamanan, who married and impregnated a 17-year-old minor girl. Officials received information about child marriage on June 10, and they rushed to the village of Usilampatti in the Madurai district. Police booked him under the POCSO Act.
On October 24, Durai Arasan, resident of RR Kuppam, headmaster of Government Adi Dravidar welfare primary school in Olaiyanoor in Kallakuirichi district, was booked under the Goondas Act for sexually misbehaving with girl and boy students. Earlier, he was facing a POCSO case.
In Kalignar Nagar in Tirupattur district, Sadiq runs an Arabic Madara school at P Muthampatti, where he misbehaves with boys. He sexually assaulted them. When the parents of 7,9 and 8 years old came to school to see their wards, they narrated the Sodomy acts of Sadiq. They saw nail bite marks in several places on their bodies. He also beat them up and forced penetration despite their resistance. On enquiry, it was found that the Madarssa was functioning illegally.
அனுமதியின்றி மதரசா எனும் அரபி மொழி பள்ளி நடத்திய மிருகம் 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/XlMsi2sMeT
— Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian (Modi ka Pariwar) (@BS_Prasad) October 24, 2024
In another incident in Athur in Salem district, parents of the seventh standard claimed a rape attempt and burning with cigarette butts to agree.
ஏழாம் வகுப்பு படிக்கும் பள்ளி மாணவியை Rape attempt மற்றும் சிகரெட்டால் சூடு வைத்து துன்புறுத்தல்.! இது உங்க ஏரியா இல்லையா @Anbil_Mahesh இதுக்கெல்லா பொங்க மாட்டீங்களா..? pic.twitter.com/rrIEbMOLs7
— Sreedhar_(ஹிந்து தேசியவாதி) (@SShivajisreeram) October 22, 2024
A Thiruvarur-based woman cries, complaining that the councillor wants to sleep with him to approve property-related issues. In the viral video, she can be seen wailing and narrating her woes to the media.
கவுன்சிலர் தப்பான செயலுக்கு கூப்பிட்டாரு.. நிம்மதியா வாழ விடமாட்றாங்க.. கதறும் பெண்.. என்ன நடந்தது..?#Thiruvarur #CollectorOffice #Women #Complaint #NewsTamil #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/HI6KUIApoX
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) October 14, 2024
In another incident, a child studying in a school and ward of daily wage labourer was raped by Pavankumar, his elder brother Ramajayam, Selvaraj while she went to graze the goats. The perpetrators exploited her loneliness and raped her. She narrated this to her parents, and based on the complaint, the trio was arrested. In another incident, a student who went out to attend the call of nature was sexually assaulted by three, including two minors.
A 35-year-old mathematics teacher, Muthukumar, of a government higher secondary school ( co-education) in Thanjavur, was arrested on October 9 on charges of sexually assaulting female students in his class. Orathanadu, all women police booked. It came to light that one of the staff informed the childline in August last, and later, Police came into the picture. Some parents also lodged complaints.
Police arrested 68 years old physiotherapist Anathakrishnan on September 25 for raping a 23-year-old woman at his residence in Coimbatore on Jan.23. They befriended him through social media. They invited her to his home and offered her coffee laced with sedatives. And raped her when she semi-consciousious.
On September 27, a masseuse leapt off the second floor and suffered injuries after a police team raided premises in Egmore. Mambalam police raided a building and busted a prostitution racket, which was being run under the guise of a workforce consultancy agency, and 13 women were rescued who were forced into the sex trade.
Police arrested 34-year-old Rajesh for killing a 5-year-old boy for resisting a sexual assault bid in Kancheepuram. After hearing his crisis, his sister rushed to find him lying on the floor. He succumbed during treatment.
Police busted sex work on wheels, where they book tickets for overnight travel journeys only to indulge in love-making acts. The customers and agents use encrypted chat apps and pimps book women after showing clients’ pictures and UPI payments mode for Rs.2000 to 10,000 per trip. It isn’t easy to determine whether they are genuine couples.
In the fake NCC camp sexual assault victims, HC orders Rs.5 lakh compensation. In Thanjavur, a 30-year-old woman who was waiting to board a bus late at night was sexually assaulted in September after giving her a lift by a 24-year-old youth. In Ramanathapuram, when a man and woman were speaking, a seven-member took her deep inside a forest and raped her.
A female teacher at a private school in Coimbatore was arrested for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old schoolgirl.
Last month, 21 years old intellectually disabled woman was kept at a lodge for three days and raped by four men near St. Thomas Mount. One of the accused, Donail, lured her into a relationship and raped her before sending her to the three other men.
In Coimbatore, 72 spas and massage centres offering sex services were shut down in September last. Earlier, Police busted a notorious sex racket being operated by Sikkandar Basha of Cumbum in Theni district and his aide Stephen from Podanur. The probe revealed they brought women from Russia and other countries to India for flesh trading. Basha was earning Rs.50 lakhs a month through this trade. He was running spas and massage parlours.
In Namakkal district, a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in October by three men. The victim’s mother was part of the crime. Based on the victim’s complaint, the Police arrested them. A man was arrested in the Sivaganga district on October 26 for luring a 13-year-old to a sugarcane field and sexually assaulting her. He killed her by throwing her into a well. The accused is facing 9 cases, including the murder of his aunt and Pocso cases.
The above sample incidents only show the audacity of perpetrators emboldened by inadequate security and police presence. Societal indifference that allows such crimes to thrive. What is the need for hourly measures for women’s and children’s safety through increased police patrolling, community vigilance, and better lighting and surveillance through CCTVs?
