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The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has condemned the "mishandling" of the sexual assault case of a 19-year-old engineering student at Tamil Nadu's Anna University. State Secretary Yuvraj D and other student activists were arrested for protesting against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
They were arrested from ABVP's Tamil Nadu State office in Purasaiwakkam. The student organisation said that public outrage has intensified after the revelation that the accused was affiliated with the DMK since he participated in the party activities and appeared in photographs with Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. "As a syndicate member of Anna University, Stalin is directly implicated in the lapses that allowed such a crime to occur on campus," the release read. ABVP has been protesting across Tamil Nadu, demanding accountability for the security failure at Anna University and justice for the victim. Holding the police officials accountable for the delay in arresting the accused, ABVP said that their focus was also on the need to protect the victim's privacy "to prevent further leaks of sensitive information." Virendra Singh Solanki, ABVP's National General Secretary, demanded strict action against accused Gnanasekaran. He said that suppressing dissent cannot hide the "failure" of the DMK government to protect the dignity of students. "ABVP condemns this undemocratic action, emphasising the DMK government's failure to ensure campus safety and uphold democratic rights, demanding immediate and strict action against the accused, Gnanasekaran, with a fast-tracked trial to deliver justice to the victim. Also, to maintain the victim's privacy to prevent further leaks and to hold police officials accountable for the delay in arresting the accused. ABVP will continue its fight for justice for the victim and the safety of students on campuses across Tamil Nadu. The DMK government must realise that suppressing dissent cannot hide its failure to protect students' dignity and safety," Solanki said in the release. Moreover, ABVP demanded the immediate release of Yuvraj D and other activists who were arrested for exercising their democratic right to protest. Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Saturday constituted an all-women IPS officers' Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate both the sexual assault case and the FIR leak case.Justices SM Subramaniam and V Lakshminarayanan formed the SIT, comprising IPS officers Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal, and Brinda, to probe the incidents. The court directed the Tamil Nadu government to compensate the victim with Rs 25 lakh for the trauma caused by the FIR leak. Additionally, the court ordered Anna University to provide the victim with free education, along with boarding, lodging, and counseling support, to enable her to continue her studies. The NCW also constituted a two-member fact-finding committee to investigate the alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old student at Anna University. The Commission took suo motu cognizance of the case and has already issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP). The committee is expected to visit Chennai on Monday, December 30. According to the Chennai Police, a second-year student was allegedly sexually assaulted on the Anna University campus on December 23. The student's complaint stated that an unidentified man threatened and assaulted her while she was talking to her friend around 8 PM. (ANI)
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