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NCW seeks immediate probe into sexual harassment case against DMK youth leader; BJP welcomes move
The DMK youth wing in a release on Tuesday said the accused, R Deivaseyal, has been removed from the post of deputy organiser at the Arakkonam Central Union
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of alleged sexual coercion and harassment involving a youth wing office bearer of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu and urged the state police to ensure prompt action.
NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar termed the allegations as “disturbing” and of “grave nature” in a letter urging the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police to ensure an immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation.
The statutory body asked the state police to register a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and submit a detailed Action Taken Report along with a copy of the FIR within three days.
It also stressed the need to ensure the safety of the survivor, prevent any political interference in the case and form an independent investigation team.
The DMK youth wing, led by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, in a release on Tuesday, said the accused, R Deivaseyal, has been removed from the post of deputy organiser at the Arakkonam Central Union.
BJP welcomes NCW's move
The BJP slammed the ruling DMK over the case and welcomed the intervention by the NCW. The saffron party and its alliance partner, the AIADMK, have been alleging a lack of women's safety in the state in the run-up to the state assembly election in 2026.
Former BJP state president K Annamalai welcomed the NCW for taking up the case and said it is the “duty of the DMK government to fully cooperate” with the statutory body and “ensure the safety of women in Tamil Nadu.”
In a post on X in Tamil, he also alleged that the state police did not act on the victim's complaint. “The police, which claims to have registered a case on the 10th itself based on the student's complaint, have not yet arrested the DMK youth wing executive. On the contrary, the student has also alleged that the DMK has published the evidence given to the police on social media,” he alleged.
“This shows that the DMK's despicable actions in attempting to intimidate and release personal information about the student in the case of the Anna University student who was sexually assaulted continue in all sexual crimes committed by the DMK,” he added.
