Chennai: A videoclip that purportedly showed some women in a car being chased and intimidated by men in a SUV with a DMK flag has gone viral and police said on Wednesday that they are on the lookout for them.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the visuals that showed the women being intimidated were shocking and asked if women’s right to move around during the night had been usurped under the “Stalin model DMK government?”
The leader of opposition asked if the “ruling party identity such as a DMK flag is a licence” for committing crimes against women. Further, the women, who escaped were chased till they reached their residence and when they lodged a complaint, the police faulted them for going outside during night.
Demanding to know if the police would act at a snail’s pace and belatedly if the accused were DMK persons, he said the incident on the East Coast Road, an arterial state road, showed complete spoiling of the law and order situation by the DMK government.
He urged registration of an FIR, arrest of all accused persons and appropriate legal action without any political interference. Police said they were looking into the allegations and were on the lookout for the accused.
The videoclip of the incident that appears to have occurred at night and the recordings are apparently from inside the car used by the women. A clip shows a SUV with a DMK flag obstructing the way for the car and a man running towards the vehicle of women and some of them gathering around and later following them.
Expressing shock, state BJP president K Annamalai alleged that the incident showed that women had no safety and security in Tamil Nadu, be it day or night.
He urged the government to increase the number of patrol vehicles, including motorcycles, and the patrol should be stepped up during the night. Wherever needed, police stations should be set up, he said, and slammed the DMK regime for not recruiting adequate personnel and providing necessary facilities.
Alleging that the crimes against women, children and Scheduled Castes have increased in Tamil Nadu, he said in the event of a dip in crimes, state governments publicise it and Chief Minister Stalin, if he intends refuting the allegation should do it by presenting data.
