Chennai, Jan 13 AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), has accused the DMK government of failing to ensure the safety of women in the state.
His remarks come in response to an incident where a man sexually harassed a female patient at a government hospital in Chennai.
In a statement shared on X, EPS said, “After the sexual assault of the Anna University student, there has been another incident inside a government hospital in Chennai, exposing that there is no safety for women under the so-called ‘Stalin-model government.’”
He added, “The Chief Minister spoke about women’s safety in the Assembly, and I wonder what he will say now.” EPS called for stringent and immediate action against the offender involved in the incident at the hospital.
He also accused the DMK regime of shielding offenders, remarking, “The CM is annoyed when we ask him, ‘Who is that sir?’” The AIADMK leader referred to his party’s ‘Save Our Daughters’ campaign, initiated after the sexual assault of a student at Anna University, and alleged that the current government continues to enable offenders.
He claimed, “More ‘sirs’ are being created as more offenders are protected under this regime.”
The DMK government, facing criticism, has proposed a stringent amendment to the Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Act to enforce harsher punishments for crimes against women and children.
The incident occurred at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMCH) late Sunday night when a 28-year-old man, identified as Sathish from Ranipet, reportedly entered the women’s ward in an inebriated state.
The police have registered a case and arrested the accused. Further investigation is underway.
It may be noted that a second-year civil engineering student of Anna University was sexually assaulted on December 23. The incident occurred when she, along with her male friend, a senior at the university, was sitting in a secluded area of the campus after attending a Christmas programme.
According to the victim’s complaint, the accused first attacked her male friend, brutally assaulting him, before dragging her into nearby shrubs and raping her. Acting swiftly, the police arrested a 37-year-old roadside biryani vendor, Gnanshekharan, in connection with the crime. The opposition parties, AIADMK and BJP, have alleged that the accused is a member of the DMK and has a criminal history.
However, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the accused was not a member of the DMK but admitted that he was a party sympathiser.
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