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United News of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Stalin announces enhanced compensation for Pollachi sexual case victims
Chennai, May 15 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday announced an enhanced compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the victims of the sensational Pollachi sexual assault case in which nine accused were awarded life term till their death. An official release said the compensation announced by the Chief Minister was over and above the Rs 85 lakh compensation announced by the Coimbatore Mahila Court while pronouncing the verdict in the case on May 13. The release applauded the courage shown by the victims by cominjg forward to file their complaints and the cooperation extended by the court that ensured punishment to the culprits and justice to the victims. A total of eight women have given statements against the accused, including the first complainant, a 19-year-old college student, who brought the horrific incidents to light. The sexual assault took place between 2016 and 2018. The accused were found guilty of sexually assaulting and exploiting women, while also taking videos of the horrific acts and blackmailing them. The incident, which took place in 2019, shocked the entire state. The victim courageously came forward to expose the brutal acts of the accused, who were part of a larger gang involved in similar assaults on multiple women over the years. The gang lured the women under false pretenses, filmed their assaults, and used the footages to blackmail them into silence. Acting on student's complaint, the police uncovered a horrifying network of exploitation, where the accused had allegedly assaulted several women over a span of many years. UNI GV 1840
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CM Stalin announces additional Rs 25 lakh to survivors of Pollachi sexual assault case
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday announced that the survivors of the Pollachi sexual assault case will get Rs 25 lakh each as relief assistance from the state government. This is in addition to the Rs 85 lakh overall compensation awarded by the Coimbatore Mahila Court. A release said the perpetrators could be punished and justice could be delivered to the survivors only because the women came forward to file complaint. Besides, they also fully cooperated with the judicial process. Commending the courage of the women, the release said the incident that came to light in 2019 had shattered the people of Tamil Nadu. This verdict will serve as a stern warning to those who indulge in such heinous crimes in the future, the release said. The release also said the state government has recently amended laws to impose stringent punishment on those who commit crimes against women. Meanwhile, sources said the compensation announced by the court is only applicable to seven of the eight survivors, as one of the survivor did not appear for the court proceedings.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Restored faith: On the Pollachi verdict
Justice, if not unduly delayed, restores public faith in due process and the criminal justice system. The recent verdict in the Pollachi sexual assault case, where a Coimbatore Mahila Court convicted all nine accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the remainder of their natural lives, is a significant step in this regard. More so, because the entire case originated from a single plea for help from a young victim, which helped expose the involvement of multiple tentacles of a body of criminals. In February 2019, a 19-year-old college student reported to the Pollachi East police that four men had sexually assaulted her in a car near Pollachi 12 days earlier. The ensuing investigation revealed this complaint to be just the tip of the iceberg. As in the Prajwal Revanna case in Karnataka, the seizure of digital devices unveiled the full scope of the atrocities. Since 2016, a group of young men had been systematically preying on vulnerable young women, from disadvantaged groups, filming the assaults, and using these videos for further exploitation. The sheer depravity uncovered shocked the State's collective conscience. Public outrage intensified with the exposure of the accused's political connections. One was identified as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Pollachi town students' wing secretary (later expelled), while another, involved in an assault on the survivor's brother, held a local secretary position in Amma Peravai, an AIADMK-affiliated youth organisation. Faced with mounting public pressure, the State government initially transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch-CID and subsequently to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Mahila Court Judge R. Nandhini Devi also directed the State government to provide a total compensation of ₹85 lakh to the survivors. The judge concurred with the prosecution's argument that the perpetrators had exploited their financial resources, physical power, political influence, and the incriminating videos to silence the survivors and perpetrate repeated assaults. She emphasised that she was clear that the judgment should 'reflect the public abhorrence of the crime'. As elections approach, politicians must resist the temptation to politicise this judgment, which not only delivered satisfactory justice but also challenged the misuse of political and financial clout. To foster a genuine feeling of security, the government must now assure its citizens an environment free from exploitation.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Pollachi sexual assault case: Tamil Nadu politicians play shame-and-blame game
CHENNAI: Amid messages from political parties hailing the verdict of the Coimbatore Mahila Court in the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case, the DMK and the AIADMK sparred over who should hang their 'head in shame' about the appalling crime that shook the conscience of Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin in his post on X said, 'Justice is done for a heinous crime committed by criminals, including an AIADMK functionary.' Taking a dig at the previous AIADMK regime, the CM said, 'Let the 'sirs' who tried to safeguard the gang of culprits, also comprising an AIADMK man, hang their heads in shame!' In response, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said it was the previous AIADMK government that arrested the accused and ordered a CBI investigation. Asking the CM to not take credit for the verdict, the leader of the opposition reiterated his party's allegation that the ruling DMK tried to protect the accused in the 2024 Anna University sexual assault case. 'The AIADMK will expose the DMK when Palaniswami-led government comes to power in 2026. Then, it is certain that the DMK will hang its head in shame,' the party said in an 'X' post.
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First Post
13-05-2025
- First Post
8 victims, 9 perpetrators: What is Tamil Nadu's Pollachi sexual assault case?
Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court convicted all nine accused in the Pollachi sexual assault case, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The investigation uncovered a disturbing pattern of exploitation, involving at least eight women, including college students read more Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court on Tuesday convicted all nine accused in the brutal Pollachi sexual assault case. Image for Representation In a verdict that was six years in the making, Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore Mahila Court on Tuesday convicted all nine accused in the brutal Pollachi sexual assault case. The sinister group had lured young women and college students, sexually assaulted them, and filmed the acts to extort and repeatedly abuse them. Since their arrest in 2019, they have remained in jail and were prosecuted for a range of offences, including criminal conspiracy, sexual harassment, rape, gang rape, and repeated rape on the same woman. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The court has now found all nine accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the remainder of their life, bringing an end to a disturbing chapter that shook Tamil Nadu. The court also directed the state government to pay a total compensation of Rs 85 lakh to eight survivors of the assaults, reports The Hindu. Here's what happened The chilling Pollachi sexual assault case Between 2016 and 2018, a group of men from Pollachi orchestrated a deeply disturbing pattern of sexual abuse and blackmail targeting young women. The case surfaced in February 2019, when a 19-year-old college student lodged a complaint at the Pollachi East Police Station. She alleged that she had been sexually assaulted and blackmailed by four men inside a moving car near the town. According to her testimony, the ordeal began when an acquaintance named Sabarirajan—also known as Riswandh—asked her to meet him alone, claiming he had something important to discuss. As per The News Minute, she agreed to meet him at a bus stop in Pollachi one afternoon. There, she saw Sabarirajan waiting near a car, accompanied by another familiar face—Thirunavukkarasu. The two convinced her to get into the vehicle, saying they would speak during the ride. As Thirunavukkarasu drove, Sabarirajan sat in the back seat beside her. Without warning, two more men—Sathish and Vasanthkumar—entered the car. The four then allegedly disrobed her by force and recorded a video of the assault. They also stole her gold chain. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The case surfaced in February 2019, when a 19-year-old college student lodged a complaint at the Pollachi East Police Station. She alleged that she had been sexually assaulted and blackmailed by four men inside a moving car near the town. Image for Representation. PTI The group reportedly threatened to leak the video online if she refused to comply with their demands for sexual favours and money. Though traumatised, the girl remained silent initially. But as the blackmail and threats continued, she confided in her family, and they approached the police. What investigators found on the accused's phones and laptops would soon unravel a far more sinister and organised crime ring. A disturbing extortion network exposed Investigators revealed that mobile phones seized from the accused revealed a vast cache of videos, not just of the 19-year-old survivor who first came forward, but also of several other women. These disturbing clips showed the extent of the abuse the group had carried out over the years, often filming their victims without consent after sexually assaulting them at various locations. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Tamil Nadu government handed over the case to the Crime Branch-CID on 12 March 2019. But with mounting public pressure and growing demands for an impartial probe, the investigation was soon transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which officially took over on 25 April 2019. What the CBI uncovered was a deeply systematic pattern of abuse. Survivors told investigators they were blackmailed with threats that the explicit videos would be shown to their families or circulated in their communities if they didn't comply with the perpetrators' demands. In cases where encounters were initially consensual, the men used the recordings to extort further sexual favours, money, or valuables. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per The News Minute, the CBI identified nine men as accused in the case: N Sabarirajan, also known as Riswandh K Thirunavukkarasu M Sathish (33) T Vasanthakumar (30) R Mani, aka Manivannan (32) P Babu (33) T Haronimus Paul (32) K Arulanantham (39) M Arunkumar Each played a distinct role in the operation. Sabarirajan was found to be the key figure—often luring women into the trap. Thirunavukkarasu, a financier, operated alongside Vasanthakumar, who worked as his collection agent. Sathish ran a garments shop in Pollachi. The victims, many from lower and middle-income backgrounds, were carefully targeted. Though investigators believe many more women were victimised, only eight survivors came forward to testify in court. Also read: 1.8 million users, 91,000 videos: What is Kidflix, the largest paedophile platform in the world, now busted? Backlash, politics, and botched handling The investigation didn't go without controversy. Political connections of some of the accused further complicated the case. Arulanantham, one of the nine convicted, was the AIADMK's Pollachi town students' wing secretary. He was expelled from the party a day after his arrest, as per the Hindu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Early on, the case drew criticism when the Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police R Pandiarajan publicly revealed the name of the survivor during a press briefing—an action that likely discouraged other survivors from stepping forward out of fear of public exposure. On Tuesday, they were brought to the Coimbatore court under heavy police security; vigilance was intensified across the city. Inside the court, a chamber made of one-way glass prevented others from seeing the survivors during the hearing and trial of the case. Over 200 documents and 400 items of electronic evidence, including forensic-validated videos of the assaults, were presented during the trial. Women's rights activists welcomed the convictions but demanded a systemic follow-through. 'This verdict is a relief, but survivors need compensation, counselling, and government job assurances to rebuild their lives,' an NDTV report quoted a member of the Tamil Nadu Women's Collective as saying. With input from agencies
