Chennai:A second-year engineering student at Anna University here in Tamil Nadu was allegedly sexually assaulted and her boyfriend was beaten and chased away by two persons on the campus on December 23, officials said on Wednesday. Based on the complaint, one person has been arrested, police said.
An officer of Chennai Kotturpuram All Women Police (AWPS) said they have arrested a suspect, identified as Gnanasekaran, based on the complaint of sexual violence.
A press note issued this evening stated, "A student of Guindy College of Engineering was talking with her male friend in the college campus at 8 pm on December 23 when an unidentified person threatened them and sexually assaulted her. She had lodged a complaint at Kotturpuram All Women Police Station".
Police are investigating the complaint with the University's Internal Complaints Committee-Prevention of Sexual Harassament(ICC-POSH). In this regard, four special teams were formed under the leadership of Kotturpuram Assistant Commissioner, the note added.
During the investigation, based on scientific evidence, Gnanasekaran (37), a resident of Kottur was arrested and he has also confessed to the crime. The accused runs a biryani store on the footpath, police said.
Surveillance cameras have been installed in the university campus along with appointment of additional security officers. The officers of Metropolitan Chennai Police Department and University Security Officers will take appropriate steps to improve the safety of the students, police added.
In her complaint at the Kotturpuram police station on Tuesday (December 24), the student narrated the incident. According to a statement by Chennai police, the woman student in her complaint said she was with her boyfriend at the rear of the Anna University's Highway Laboratory when two strangers abruptly assaulted them.
While the victim's boyfriend, according to police, "fled away from there", one of the accused, using that opportunity, criminally intimidated her to have sex with him.
"Prior to her lodging the(police) complaint, her grievance was already inquired by the Protection of Sexual Harassment Committee, already constituted in the Anna University," read an internal note, submitted to the government by the Chennai Police.
The case was registered at Police Station Kotturpuram under provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita(BNS).
"The case is under investigation. A special team has been fanned out to nab the accused. CCTV footage inside the University campus is being scrutinized. A local suspect was also already secured and is being interrogated to unearth the truth," the note added.
Kotturpuram Assistant Commissioner Bharathi Rajan said a probe is underway on the victim's complaint and four special task forces have been created to arrest the suspects.
The persons involved in the sexual assault took obscene photos of the student on their cell phones and threatened to publish them if she filed a complaint. As such, she was reluctant and filed a complaint a day later.
University offers full cooperation
Anna University Registrar J Prakash, in a statement, said the varsity's Internal Complaint Cell has been informed and an investigation is currently underway. He added that the university administration was providing full cooperation to the police investigation. "A case has been registered in the Raja Annamalaipuram Women's Police Station... The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department has instructed the Anna University Registrar to provide full cooperation to the police investigation," Prakash said.
"Security staff are always on duty in the university campus. CCTV cameras have also been installed. However, this unpleasant incident has taken place. Additional security measures will be taken at the university level to prevent such an incident from happening again. As far as Anna University is concerned, the safety of all students will be given priority. All efforts are being made to identify and arrest the culprits at the earliest," he said.
Opposition slams government
Opposition Leader Edappadi Palaniswami, condemning the incident, said that Anna University, located in the heart of the state capital, is one of the status symbols of Tamil Nadu. He said that it was shameful that such a brutal incident happened on the campus.
In a post on his X handle, Tamil Nadu BJP leader Annamalai wrote his condemnation in Tamil. "BJP demands that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu takes responsibility at least now and addresses the people on the status of this sexual assault case in Anna University and do justice to the portfolio he holds.."
