Opposition vs DMK over ‘gang rape’ of mentally ill college student in Tamil Nadu's Chennai

Two accused, Naresh and Suresh, have been arrested and efforts to nab at least seven others are underway, police said.

A political row erupted after police arrested two accused persons for the alleged gangrape of a mentally ill college girl in Tamil Nadu's Chennai.

The survivor was facing several health issues, including stomach pains, after the incident. (Representative Image)

The complaint was filed by the victim's father at the Ayanavaram Police Station, following which a case was registered at the Chennai All-Women Police Station. The two accused, Naresh and Suresh, were nabbed on Saturday and the hunt for at least seven others is underway, news agency ANI reported.

The victim had mental disabilities and she was studying at a private college in Chennai, officials said, adding that she told her father about the incident and named the two accused.

What happened

Police said that the two accused, Naresh and Suresh, had taken the victim to a lodge in Chennai's Wall Tax Road and raped her repeatedly.

After the incident, the girl was suffering with physical issues, including stomach pain and other severe problems.

The survivor's father filed a complaint after she told him about the incident. Police said that as per initial investigation the survivor and the accused were introduced to each other by a mutual friend from her college last year.

Preliminary probe also revealed that the girl was raped by a few others who befriended her over social media.

The people involved in the rape have been identified and efforts to nab the remaining accused persons are underway, police said.

A case under eight sections in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and one section in the Information Technology Act has been registered while four special teams have been formed to hunt down the accused.

Opposition slams CM Stalin, DMK

Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Sunday hit out at chief minister MK Stalin for the alleged rape of the mentally ill college student, questioning the "delayed" police action on the complaint of the girl's father.

He said that the saffron party will submit a petition to the Deputy General of Police (DGP) to push for action against the policeman who caused the delay in probe.

"In the Chintadripet rape case, BJP will give a petition to the DGP tomorrow to take action against the policeman who delayed taking action on the complaint of the victim's father... The policeman asked the victim's father to alter the complaint and warned them. It is the duty of the state to give protection to a differently-abled victim. The CM should immediately sack all those policemen. I have always supported the police but in this case, it is unacceptable," Annamalai said during a press conference.

Meanwhile, All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the Stalin-led DMK government and the police of "negligence" in the case.

In a post on X, Palaniswami said that the news of the mentally ill student being repeatedly "sexually assaulted by more than 10 people in Chennai's Chintadripet is shocking".

"While the victim's father has already reported the matter to the police station, the police of the DMK government have acted very negligently as usual and they have ignored the complainants," he added.

He asked whether the MK Stalin government was aware of how seriously complaints of crimes against women should be taken and how they should be probed properly.

Palaniswami accused the DMK government of failing to create a safe environment for women while accusing it of handling such cases in a "lax" manner.

"I urge MK Stalin, DMK government to ensure that all the culprits involved in this case receive strict legal punishment, and to prevent these kind of crimes against women, I urge to conduct a serious investigation into such complaints without delay," he added.

(with inputs from agencies)