Student sexual assault case: TN BJP chief stages whiplash agitation

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai staged a unique agitation on Friday when he flogged himself condemning the ruling DMK and the state police over the handling of the case of sexual assault on a Chennai college student on Christmas eve.

Clad in a green dhoti, a bare-chested Annamalai took a whip from his party worker and whipped himself repeatedly in front of his residence in Coimbatore, as the BJP members stood around him displaying placards condemning the police for the alleged leak of FIR pertaining to the woman's complaint.

On Thursday, Annamalai dramatically removed his shoes at a press conference and announced that he would not wear footwear till the ruling DMK government is dislodged.

The former IPS officer had accused the state police of deliberately disclosing the identity of the girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted. One person has been arrested in connection with the incident that happened inside the state's premier technical varsity, Anna University.

DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi took a dig at Annamalai's agitation and said his action has become a farce. "I doubt if the BJP will accept this whiplash agitation. Will anyone whip themselves? I have been in politics for 60 years. No leader has done such a thing," Bharathi told reporters in Chennai.

Probably some astrologer would have asked Annamalai to take up this "remedy in order to get higher post in the BJP," he ridiculed.

Bharathi sought to know why Annamalai did not whip himself over the Manipur incidents or over the sexual assault case in Pollachi or with regard to the crimes that were a daily phenomenon in the BJP-ruled states.

Dismissing the whiplash agitation as a "joke" Bharathi claimed that people were laughing at it. On Annamalai’s vow that he would not wear sandals until the DMK was removed from power, Bharathi said, "then he would not be able to wear sandals for the rest of his life. That is his choice."

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister P K Sekhar Babu remarked that devotees usually walked barefoot while on a pilgrimage to Murugan temples. "Even I don’t wear sandals when I visit the temple," he told reporters here taking potshots at Annamalai.

Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan said the law had taken its due course, and the suspect was arrested and further investigation was going on.

"There’s no need for the state government or myself to seek political gains out of this incident nor do we wish to provide fodder to those lacking political issues but keen on doing politics on the girl’s plight," Chezhiaan told reporters in Chennai, after inspecting the university campus this morning and holding a discussion with the officials.

The suspect who has been arrested was operating a Biryani shop and he used to drop his wife at the university as she was working as a temporary worker, the minister said.

Following the incident, the university authorities have been told to make it mandatory for visitors to produce their identity cards and their vehicle registration numbers if they came beyond working hours, the minister said.

"The higher education department and the university, too, are cooperating with the police for a fair investigation in the case. We have already formed a committee to investigate this case. This incident on campus was unfortunate," Chezhiaan said.