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FIR: Anna university accused filmed, threatened survivor
The accused in Anna University sexual harassment case allegedly forced the 19-year-old student of the university to perform “sexual acts” with him and asked him to continue meeting him regularly
The accused in Anna University sexual harassment case allegedly forced the 19-year-old student of the university to perform “sexual acts” with him and asked him to continue meeting him regularly, according to the first information report lodged in the case of sexual assault registered on Wednesday.
The accused was arrested on Wednesday even as the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday took suo moto cognisance of the case and the DMK government was slammed over law and order by opposition AIADMK and BJP.
The incident was revealed a day after the police arrested a 37-year-old man who trespassed into the campus of Chennai’s premier engineering institution on Wednesday to commit the crime.
The second year college student was speaking to her male friend who is studying in the third -year on December 23 around 8pm behind a building when the accused threatened them. He first assaulted the male student and then sexually molested the female student.
The woman student filed a police complaint on December 24 at the Kotturpuram All Women’s police station. “The victim called on 100 (police helpline) and our police went to the University and arrested him on December 25,” A Arun, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation told reporters.
The accused identified as Gnanasekaran is Biryani hawker in Kottur, a neighbourhood near the University. “There are 20 cases filed against the accused. He has been convicted in six of them,” the city commissioner said. “All of them are petty crimes like theft and house breaking. There are no cases of rowdyism and sexual assault against him. We have not received such complaints so far.”
The survivor had said in her complaint to the police that the offender emerged from behind at around 7.45pm after having recorded private moments with her boyfriend on his mobile phone and threatened to leak the video and also send it to her father and college authorities.
“We begged him not to leak it. He then took my friend away while asking me to wait at the same place,” the FIR reads. He threatened her male friend to leave and then took her to a secluded spot about 200 metres nearby and gave her three options. “When I remained silent, he got angry and began touching me,” her statement in the FIR reads, in which she had given details of how he had sexually assaulted her.
The accused took photos of her ID card, her father’s number and threatened her to keep meeting him, failing which he said he would release her videos.
The survivor further said in the complaint that the offender received a call from someone whom he addressed as “sir” while he held her hostage. “He put his phone on airplane mode and pretended he was receiving calls to further scare her,” the commissioner said.
The police investigated the case in coordination with the University’s Internal Complaints Committee and the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) cell.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai has released pictures of the accused posing with deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and health minister M Subramanian. “It has come to light that the accused in the Sexual Assault of a student at Anna University is a repeat offender and a DMK functionary,” Annamalai posted on X.
Later in a press conference in Coimbatore he said that he will whip himself six times on Friday to protest against the crime. Annamalai also shot off a letter to the NCW to take action against Tamil Nadu police after the FIR leaked and the victim’s identity became public.
“The NCW has taken suo moto cognizance of the disturbing sexual assault of a 19-year-old student from Anna University, Chennai. The NCW highlights that the accused is a habitual offender, with Tamil Nadu Police failing to act on previous cases,” the central body said in a statement.
“This negligence has emboldened him to commit such crimes, raising serious concerns about the collapsing law and order situation in Tamil Nadu.” NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar directed the Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal to ensure free medical care and protection for the victim, add Section 71 of BNS, 2023, to the FIR for stricter punishment and take action against officers for publicly revealing the victim’s identity.
”A case has been registered regarding the release of the FIR and action will be taken against the culprits,” the commissioner said, adding that there was a technical glitch because of which the FIR did not get locked in the system.
Law minister S Reghupathy said that the accused is not a member of the DMK. “Anyone can click a picture with government functionaries. Politicians do oblige for pictures with people who approach them in events,” the minister said. “A picture alone cannot be used to make wild allegations.”
Hundreds of cadres and leaders of the AIADMK and BJP, including former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan protested outside the campus and were arrested. The AIADMK said that they will protest outside all district collectorates of Tamil Nadu on Friday over a deteriorating law and order situation.
On Wednesday, Anna University’s registrar J Prakash said that security personnel were on duty on campus and CCTVs too have been installed, adding that they will strengthen security measures so that such crimes do not recur. The police and university are conducting a joint security audit. “Anna University has 70 CCTVs out of which 56 are working. We used that to nab him,” he said.
