Chennai, Jan 6 (IANS): The first day of the Tamil Nadu Assembly session witnessed uproarious scenes as opposition AIADMK members were evicted from the House after raising the issue of the Anna University sexual assault case.
AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami led his party MLAs to the House wearing badges that read “Yaar Antha Sir?” (Who is that Sir?), a reference to the recent Anna University sexual assault case.
Palaniswami and other AIADMK MLAs raised slogans and demanded an explanation from the DMK government regarding the phrase “Who is that Sir?” This led to chaotic scenes, culminating in the forcible removal of AIADMK legislators from the House.
The sexual assault incident occurred on December 23 when a second-year engineering student and her male friend, a senior at Anna University, were sitting in a secluded area of the campus after attending a Christmas programme.
According to the victim’s complaint, the accused attacked her male friend, brutally assaulting him, before dragging her into nearby shrubs and raping her.
The police acted swiftly, arresting a 37-year-old roadside biryani vendor, Gnanshekharan, in connection with the crime.
Adding to the political tension, the Greater Chennai police arrested AIADMK Students’ Wing Secretary, Singai Ramachandran, and others while they attempted to distribute black armbands to students of Anna University in protest against the sexual assault. The protest had been planned despite the police denying permission for demonstrations.
The AIADMK student body had announced a protest against the assault, scheduled to take place outside the Anna University campus at 8.30 a.m. on January 6. However, police warned the student leaders of arrest if the demonstration went ahead. On Monday morning, heavy police deployment was reported at the university campus, and Singai Ramachandran was taken into custody.
The AIADMK announced its intention to raise the arrests of their student leaders, including Singai Ramachandran, during the Assembly session. Meanwhile, in a dramatic turn of events, Governor R.N. Ravi walked out of the inaugural session of the Assembly, accusing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Speaker M. Appavu of disrespecting the Constitution and the National Anthem.
The Raj Bhavan alleged that the Tamil Nadu Assembly once again insulted the “Constitution of Bharat” and the National Anthem by not singing it.