DMK MLA receives main accused in Lavanya suicide case with shawl, embarrasses party

Chennai, Feb 15 With only four days left for the urban local body elections scheduled for February 19, the ruling DMK is in a spot after its MLA from Tiruchirappalli (East), Inigo Iruthayaraj, received the main accused in the Lavanya suicide case, Sagaya Mary, outside the Tiruchirappalli central prison with a shawl. This happened on Monday.

Lavanya, a student of the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in Michaelpatti in Thanjavur, was staying in the school hostel. She consumed poison and died at the Thanjavur Medical College hospital on January 19. Three days before her death, she had in a video recording before a magistrate, accused the hostel warden, Sister Sagaya Mary of torturing her and making her do daily chores at the hostel and not allowing her to study properly. In the video recording, Lavanya had in detail stated the alleged torture she was subjected to by Sagaya Mary.

In the statement, she accused Sagaya Mary of physically assaulting her and refusing to give food to her when she was not able to pay the hostel fee properly.

Lavanya's statement was recorded in the FIR and Sagaya Mary was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

Inigo Iruthayaraj in a social media post said that Sagaya Mary had done yeoman service in increasing the education level of students in Thanjavur and hence he welcomed her in front of the Tiruchirappalli central prison.

When contacted Irudarajan said that he was not interested in commenting and that he was busy with the civic elections. DMK leaders also did not respond to questions posed to them.

The Supreme Court had on February 14 refused to stay the order of the Madras High Court directing a CBI probe into Lavanya's suicide. The High Court had ordered a CBI probe on January 31 against which the Tamil Nadu government had moved the Supreme Court which rejected its plea on Monday.

The BJP and the VHP had in the meanwhile released a video of Lavanya which stated that two years ago another nun of the school, Raquel Mary had asked her to convert to Christianity.

When Muthuvel of the VHP who was recording the video asked Lavanya whether she was tortured in school due to her not converting to Christianity, she had replied, "It could be so".

The DMK is now facing embarrassment over the MLA welcoming the main accused in the case. Hindu outfits have already come out with statements that the DMK was hand-in-glove with the perpetrators and demanded an apology from the Chief Minister.

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