Latest news with #Deivaseyal
India Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
EPS accuses DMK of shielding suspended party leader in sexual assault case
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) has accused the DMK government of shielding the accused and threatening the complainant. Sharing a video clip purportedly of the survivor, in which she claims that the authorities are only 'questioning' people and not taking real action, EPS alleged that the police were trying to intimidate her rather than deliver further pointed out that a DMK councillor was recently arrested in Arakkonam for illegally possessing two firearms without a licence. He criticised the state administration for allegedly allowing the DMK to hold public meetings in support of the accused, while denying the AIADMK permission to protest on behalf of the is DMK protecting Deivaseyal? Is any huge political figure being secured by protecting Deivaseyal? Who is that sir? Our questions will not stop until the affected student gets justice,' EPS declared, demanding accountability from the ruling party. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin responded by accusing EPS of political opportunism. 'Several instances of crime like Thoothukudi and Sathankulam occurred in the AIADMK period,' Stalin said, referring to violent incidents under the previous government's watch. He accused EPS of being 'deliberately involved in slander' and attempting to politicise sensitive issues for personal and party controversy centres around allegations made by a 20-year-old woman against her husband, Deivaseyal, a suspended deputy secretary of the DMK Youth Wing in Arakkonam. She has accused him of sexual and physical abuse and of coercing young women into sexual relationships with political leaders. advertisementThe National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and has called for an immediate, impartial investigation. The NCW has also urged the Tamil Nadu Police to register a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and to submit an Action Taken Report. The complainant has alleged that the police mishandled her complaint by omitting key details from the FIR and pressuring her to sign documents she disagrees with. She also reported that sensitive video evidence she submitted was leaked on social media, and no action has been taken against those responsible. IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Off the cuff: Pollachi verdict sparks political war as DMK, AIADMK trade sexual assault blame
Justice or just drama? Last week, the Pollachi sexual assault verdict finally dropped, and as expected, the DMK wasted no time reminding the public that the horrors unfolded under AIADMK's watch. Political popcorn it is. Not to be outdone, the Arakkonam AIADMK rushed to flip the narrative. Their weapon? A domestic violence case involving Deivaseyal, a DMK youth wing member, accused of threatening a college girl to 'engage sexually' with party men. The girl's complaint even mentioned 20 other women allegedly facing similar exploitation. The police, however, called it a 'family issue.' Turns out, Deivaseyal had allegedly married (and deceived) multiple women. Not 20. Not even close. But the AIADMK didn't wait for fact-checks. They took the girl to the streets in protest—literally. She missed her college exam that day. Noble sacrifice or political stunt? Ironically, not even the Arakkonam AIADMK cadres showed up for their own show. Let's be clear: victim blaming is vile. But so is victim branding and weaponising a woman's trauma, just to score a few brownie points on election eve. -Rajalakshmi Sampath Calculated goof-up? The state recently dropped a press release in the tone of an Oscar-winning reveal: Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare schools scored a record 96% in Class 12. 'A first in 60 years,' they beamed. Cue the confetti cannons. But, hold the applause. The math was even more puzzling than Schrodinger's cat. Tribal Welfare schools recorded 95.5% pass, while Adi Dravidar Welfare schools stood at 91.85%, with the latter having over three times the number of students than the former. Unless someone bribed the calculator with extra marks, this round-up is a bit exaggerated. -Subashini Vijayakumar
India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
DMK worker preyed on her vulnerability, sexually tortured her, says ‘third wife'
The woman who made allegations of sexual abuse, coercion, and criminal exploitation against a suspended DMK functionary, Deivaseyal, claimed that he targeted vulnerable women under the guise of political connections and support.'He first approached me in college when he came to drop off a relative. I had no idea then that he had come just to see me,' she said in an exclusive conversation with India Today said he knew people in DMK and offered help when he realised I didn't have family backing.' According to the survivor, Deivaseyal manipulated her under the pretext of support, especially when her family was going through a crisis. 'He claimed to have seen me in court and gathered my details. Later, I learned he used this tactic to find other women like me, with little or no background support.'She alleges he forced her into an unregistered marriage and later took her away, keeping her in a rented house where she says the abuse worsened.'He used to torture me, sexually and emotionally. His wife Kanimozhi was involved too,' she said, adding that another woman named Farhana contacted her claiming to be his second wife and shared intimate photos as she confronted Deivaseyal, 'He said he didn't know Farhana and claimed that Kanimozhi was his wife who had become unstable after their son died in an accident and her uterus had to be removed. He called Farhana a fraud.'"After they tortured me, I consumed a lot of pills and was admitted to Arakkonam General Hospital. He abandoned me. My mother and brother saved my life,' she after that, she said the abuse didn't stop. 'He brought me back and placed me under house arrest. On April 18, he began pressuring me to 'compromise' with other men. Kanimozhi even threatened my mother, saying they would inject me with drugs and send me to VIPs for money.'She said her family rescued her after a violent incident on May 5, where he allegedly beat her up inside a car.'Even now, he keeps threatening me. I ran around with complaints for weeks before the FIR was finally filed, but with only a few sections. I wasn't even given a Community Service Register (CSR) copy initially.'She also raised concerns over the leak of sensitive evidence she submitted.'Videos I gave police were later released by a social media handle named 'Rahul DMK IT Wing'. The police haven't responded.'advertisementThe survivor claims Deivaseyal's wife was complicit and that more women could be involved in what she described as a 'business' of coercion and exploitation. 'His plan was to marry vulnerable women and use them. I've heard there may be 20 other victims.'Despite an FIR being filed, the survivor says Deivaseyal was not arrested within 24 hours and has now been granted bail. 'He hasn't even been questioned. I don't understand what's going on. I've lost trust in the police but still believe in the judiciary,' she said, demanding a CBI inquiry and justice for herself and thanked the National Commission for Women (NCW) for taking up her case and urged a deeper investigation into Deivaseyal's phone records. 'Let them find out if it's only 20 women, or more.'Tune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
India Today
22-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Suspended DMK youth wing leader gets anticipatory bail in sexual abuse case
The Madras High Court has granted anticipatory bail to ex-DMK Youth Wing leader, Deivaseyal, and his wife, Kanimozhi, in a case registered by the Arakkonam All Women Police Station in Tamil Nadu. As a condition of the bail, the court directed both accused to appear before the police station as and when case was registered under sections 75(2), 82(2), 296(b), and 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) by the Arakkonam police with charges of sexual harassment, bigamy and criminal intimidation. The case was filed after a complaint from a 20-year-old college student who alleged that Deivaseyal had stalked and forcibly married to the complainant, she was already married and undergoing divorce proceedings with her first husband when Deivaseyal began following her. She claimed that she was coerced into marrying him, and later discovered that Deivaseyal was already married. The complaint also included allegations of physical abuse and claims that he had targeted other women as well. The woman, in her complaint, had said that Deivaseyal assaulted her, broke her phone and boasted that no action would be taken against him. 'His work is to threaten 20-year-old women and make them sleep with political leaders and threaten to cut me into pieces if I complain,' she said. She further alleged that Deivaseyal told her to 'sleep with men he shows.'Deivaseyal's counsel argued before the court that the charges were baseless and politically motivated. He submitted that the complaint was filed at the instigation of Deivaseyal's political National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter. The NCW has demanded for an investigation into the serious accusations, particularly noting the political affiliations of the accused. Earlier, in a post on X, AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami had alleged that the ex-DMK functionary also tried to 'make the young woman available for sexual exploitation' by ruling party figures. 'She has claimed that 20-year-old women similar to her are under the grip of Deivaseyal. Will the dummy DMK government take action against the officer bearers who attempt to sexually assault 20-year-old women? If not, AIADMK along with the people will conduct massive protests,' he had DMK Youth Wing issued a statement on Wednesday saying that Deivaseyal had been removed from his post within the party. IN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
State sues Centre in SC over Samagra Shiksha fund dues
1. TN sues Centre in SC over non-disbursal of ₹2,000-crore education funds Tamil Nadu has filed a suit in the Supreme Court accusing the Centre of stopping its annual share of crucial education funds to the tune of over ₹2000-crore under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme. The suit said the 'glaring and apparent reason' for the non-disbursement of Samagra Shiksha Scheme funds was the State's vociferous opposition to the imposition of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with its three-language formula and the NEP-exemplary PM Shri Schools' Scheme. 2. DMK worker Deivaseyal sexual harassment case: NCW serves notice; accused seeks anticipatory bail The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of serious allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a woman against her husband R. Deivaseyal, a DMK worker in Arakkonam who was removed from party post yesterday. The commission had also sought a detailed action-taken report, along with a copy of the FIR, within three days. In a separate development, he moved the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case. At Arakkonam, AIADMK cadre led by the party's women's wing secretary S. Valarmathi, staged a demonstration against the DMK government over the issue. 3. Coimbatore elephant that died was pregnant; plastic bags found in animal during autopsy The post-mortem examination on the carcass of a female wild elephant that died at Marudhamalai foothills in Coimbatore yesterday revealed that the animal was pregnant and its stomach contained plastic bags and aluminium foil, which it had consumed along with food waste from a dump yard nearby. 4. T.N. moves SC to transfer PIL against laws taking away Governor's power to appoint Vice-Chancellors The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court of having filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to transfer to the latter a public interest litigation (PIL) petition currently pending before the High Court, challenging the validity of State laws that take away the Governor's power to appoint Vice-Chancellors.
