Police intensify investigation in sexual harassment case against TVK functionary

The Coimbatore District Police have intensified investigation into the allegations by a woman functionary of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) that Karamadai union secretary of the party sexually harassed her in May this year.

Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police A. Pavan Kumar Reddy said the investigating officer would also verify some of the audio tapes and videos, which the complainant had claimed as evidence to back her allegations. TVK’s Karamadai union secretary Karupusamy, party worker Sabitha, and her husband Pandi are the three accused in the case.

The complainant, aged 29, who formerly held the post of the party’s secretary at a panchayat in Karamadai union, has alleged that she was removed from her post after she questioned Karupusamy over the alleged sexual harassment. The two others, she has alleged, harassed her on caste grounds.

Lawyer N. Panneerselvam of Samooga Neethi Katchi, who has been offering legal assistance to the complainant, alleged that the police were not keen on arresting the accused despite having registered a case against them for serious offences. “We were told the accused are at large. It is the duty of the police to trace them. Legal support will be offered to the complainant if they [accused] move for anticipatory bail,” he said.

The police, however, refused to state whether the trio was on the run.

Meanwhile, a video of the woman complaining about the harassment to MLA N. Sunil Anand before the case was registered has surfaced. As the woman was talking to him, the MLA is seen in the video telling others that “it was not an important thing”. The woman had claimed in her complaint to the police that she had reported the incident to the MLA thrice.