On 27 December, BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai took the stand against sexual exploitation which no one ever dared to take. He whipped himself outside his residence in Coimbatore. It was a symbolic gesture condemning the apathy of the DMK govt for the 19 year old student of Anna University who had to suffer sexual exploitation in the hands of a monster who allegedly has links with the ruling party.
Those who dismiss sexual exploitation as a trivial issue might mock Annamalai’s actions, labeling them as melodrama or theatrics. However, his act is a profound form of penance, deeply embedded in Tamil culture. Every whip he endures is a wake up call for the society to stand and fight for justice.
Seriously! Spare us the melodrama & theatrics. https://t.co/C6rALMrUNQ
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) December 26, 2024
After whipping himself, K. Annamalai while interacting with the press reflected on his days as an IPS officer, recounting a case he had investigated involving the rape of a 10-year-old girl, which resulted in a successful prosecution. He shared, “After the trial, the girl’s mother asked me if I could ever give her daughter back to her.” That haunting question, he revealed, was what led him to embark on his journey into politics.
Today, Annamalai stands at a pivotal moment. If he withstands against the vile campaigns of the Dravidian parties, he will rise like a dazzling sun, dispelling the darkness of injustice and igniting a new era of hope and prosperity for Tamil Nadu.
It’s a form of penance and/or worship in Tamil Nadu. Those mocking it, don’t understand the cultural significance. Yes Annamalai is former IPS, but he is also a Tamilian & it isnt such an obscure ritual, he harms no human/ animal or environment in this acthttps://t.co/34vVFMNjSp
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) December 27, 2024
Anna University Incident
On the 23rd of December, a student was sexually assaulted, filmed, threatened and blackmailed at Anna University. The man who is behind the heinous act has been identified as Gnanasekaran who already has plenty of pending cases registered against him. The Greater Chennai police got hold of him on the 25th of December.
The First Information Report (FIR) regarding the incident was filed at the All Women Police Station Raja Annamalai Puram on 24th December . According to the registered FIR, Gnanasekaran filmed the victim along with her boyfriend on campus and used the footage to blackmail them. He also held the student in illegal custody for 40 minutes, from 7:45 PM to 8:20 PM, behind the Highway Lab Building and EEE department building.
Gnanasekaran threatened the survivor with three options: facing expulsion from the university if he leaked the footage to the dean and her parents, “spending time” with him, or “spending time” with another unidentified man who had reportedly contacted him before the assault. The survivor’s complaint states that Gnanasekaran received a call from an unknown person to whom he mentioned that he would threaten the girl and leave her. Before leaving, he photographed the student’s college ID card and obtained her father’s contact number from her phone.
Police investigations revealed that Gnanasekaran is a habitual offender with seven pending criminal cases under Indian Penal Code sections 457 (lurking, house-trespass, or house-breaking by night) and 380 (theft in dwelling house). For the current assault, he has been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 63(a) (rape), 64(1) (punishment for rape), and multiple counts of sexual harassment under sections 75(1)(ii) and 75(1)(iii).
A shocking angle too surfaced that linked the incident with the political arena. It came up that the accused, Gnanasekaran has political connection with DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), the ruling party of Tamil Nadu. The accused pictures with Udhayanidhi Stalin, the deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister of the state, Ma Subramanian came up giving a push to his connections with the party.
Upon this development, BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai held a press conference in Coimbatore and vowed to walk barefoot until the ruling govt of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is thrown out of power. Moreover, he announced his plans to flog himself six times and fast for 48 days while visiting Tamil Nadu’s six sacred Murugan temples.
