Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan (Black T Shirt)
The people in power are expected to be more responsible and sensitive in their actions and words in public, and to exercise extra caution when dealing with minors and women. However, Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan seems to have done the opposite. He has come under severe criticism after two separate videos from a public event in Melur, Madurai district, went viral. One video allegedly shows him dancing to a film song with double-meaning lyrics, while another captures him touching the outstretched legs of girl athletes. The videos have raised serious questions about his conduct, triggering demands for his dismissal from the ministry, a public apology, and the registration of a case against him under the POCSO Act.
The controversy first erupted after Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan was seen dancing to a film song during the inauguration of a drug-awareness marathon in Melur, Madurai district, on 21 June. A video in this regard went viral.
Critics questioned whether a senior member of the State Cabinet should engage in such activities at an official public event. They also alleged that the song contained double-meaning lyrics and pointed out that it was from a film featuring Chief Minister Vijay.
Before that controversy could die down, another video showing Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan touching the outstretched legs of girl athletes while chatting with them at an event in Melur, Madurai, recently sparked outrage online.
The girl athletes were reportedly resting after having run a marathon organised as part of the birthday celebrations of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
After distributing prizes at the Melur Government School, where the event was held, the Minister reportedly greeted the athletes. The video captures him touching the outstretched legs of the athletes and cracking their toes, while another guest was seen shaking hands with them.
The video has been widely circulated on social media platforms. DMK leader and former minister S.S. Sivasankar earlier expressed consternation over the incident during a press briefing, stating that the good touch-bad touch lessons usually taught to schoolchildren should also be extended to members of the Cabinet. Critics argued that former DMK minister K. Ponmudy had earlier behaved in a similar manner.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla described the visuals as “unacceptable and shocking” and questioned whether Viswanathan should continue in office. “Should they not sack him immediately?” he asked.
He said, “Minister of Higher Education Visvanathan from Tamil Nadu Congress is in controversy after he was caught inappropriately touching the legs of young girls while attending an event. Is this ‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’, Priyanka ji? Joseph Vijay, will you sack this man?”
Vidya Reddy, co-founder of Tulir – Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse, told the media, “A person of authority should act more responsibly than get swept away by the moment or the intoxication of power. There should be an official, public condemnation of the incident.”
She also raised concerns about what kind of child protection policies were being enforced by the sports bodies responsible for the athletes. She said, “Bystander intervention becomes critical as it serves as an immediate check for abuse.”
A DMK legal wing functionary, in a complaint submitted to the police and child protection authorities, Chennai-based advocate Saranya Natarajan alleged that the minister’s actions were “deliberate” and “repeated” and called for the registration of an FIR under the relevant provisions of the POCSO Act.
According to the complaint, the minister was seen touching the legs, shoulders and other body parts of minor girls participating in the event. The complainant alleged that the acts were “not incidental or accidental, but deliberate and repeated in their character”.
She claimed that the viral footage showed visible discomfort among some of the girls and urged the authorities to initiate action under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, besides preserving all electronic evidence related to the incident.
The complaint also sought action against those allegedly circulating videos that reveal the identities of minor children.
So far, however, neither the Congress Party nor any representative of the TVK government in the state has responded to the videos. The leader seen in the videos, Viswanathan, has also not issued any clarification or apology despite receiving widespread backlash over the incident.
