A Tamil Nadu woman has accused her husband—a 40-year-old man who is a member of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)—of torturing and sexually harassing her. She claimed, "his job is to make 20-year-old girls sleep with politicians," and added that he "would bite me like a mad dog."
The woman, a 20-year-old college student from Arakkonam district, named her husband as Deivaseyal, who is said to be the Deputy Secretary of the youth wing of the DMK party. She also accused him of warning her that he would burn her family alive if she ever went to the police with grievances.
"He attacked me to college. hurt me and smashed my phone. And he would tell me, 'if you complain nothing will happen because the police will be on my side'. Because of him I attempted to commit suicide by taking poison," she said in a plea that was taken up by the opposition party in power, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
"His work is to torture 20-year-old girls to sleep with politicians. no one ever does anything against him. When I complain he threatens to cut me into pieces. He tortured me in the car and told me to sleep with the men he pointed out. I can't even go out of my home. I couldn't take my exams," the woman explained.
She also alleged her husband used to physically abuse her and appealed to DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to act. "Otherwise, I will kill myself." she implored.
These terrifying allegations have prompted the AIADMK to accuse the DMK of shielding Deivaseyal, alleging that police at first declined to file a complaint due to his political affiliations.
In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami said the police did not take the woman's complaint seriously until S Ravi, the party MLA from the locality, raised the matter publicly on her behalf.
When the police acted at last, the woman also accused her husband of connections with Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.
A preliminary investigation by the police found no evidence so far to corroborate sexual assault allegations, according to police. In her complaint, the woman told police that her husband had introduced her to a number of men, suggesting she would be obligated to have sex with them.
DMK retaliated by saying that action will be taken by the police on whoever is found guilty and the party will take internal disciplinary action based on the outcome of the investigation.
AIADMK compares itself with Pollachi case
In a scathing attack on the DMK, Palaniswami drew a parallel with the notorious 2019 Pollachi sex abuse scandal, wherein a group of nine men gang-raped several women between 2016 and 2018 and recorded the assaults, blackmailing them for money and sexual favours.
"For DMK leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin, who likes to mention Pollachi so often. Arakkonam is an indication of your haphazard administration. I had handed over the case of Pollachi to the CBI but Stalin's government attempted to dilute the probe. Will this 'dummy dad' administration act against the DMK cadre?" Palaniswami wrote in Tamil.
He threatened, "If not, the AIADMK will hold massive demonstrations."
The Pollachi gang received consecutive life sentences earlier this month. At the time the case first emerged, Palaniswami’s AIADMK was in power, with the DMK led by Stalin as the opposition. In both incidents, the opposition accused the government of a cover-up, claiming police initially hesitated to file charges due to the accused’s ties with the ruling party.
Interestingly, one of the members of the Pollachi gang belonged to the AIADMK and was subsequently dismissed from the party.
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