Questions are being raised about the veracity of the claims in a two-minute video in which an Army jawan posted in Kashmir alleges that his wife was attacked, molested, and stripped by a mob of 120 people in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district on June 10. In the viral video, which triggered massive outrage across the country, Prabhakaran, the soldier is seen kneeling down and seeking help from the Tamil Nadu police to protect his family. However, in a fresh turn of events, an audio clip has now surfaced in which Prabhakaran can be heard allegedly tutoring an accomplice to raise a false alarm.
In the leaked audio conversation, allegedly between Prabhakaran and a person named Vinod, Prabhakaran is heard giving instructions to Vinod and tutoring him to allege that his wife was stripped and attacked. This development has brought focus back on Prabhakaran’s brother-in-law who has been absconding after allegedly stabbing a person. It has also led activists to claim that this is a deliberate attempt to defame the government in Tamil Nadu.
During the conversation, the voice purportedly belonging to Prabhakaran refers to his video clip and says that there will be agitations in Tamil Nadu and he had passed on the video to many people including to political parties such as the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and BJP.
“There will be a strike across Tamil Nadu. There you need to say what had happened with exaggeration,” he allegedly said to Vinodh, adding, “It will be a huge strike. So far 6 crore people have watched it. I’ve circulated this 'information' on YouTube, FB, Twitter, and to politicians like Naam Tamilar, BJP and other parties.” The clip has now raised several questions over the claims made by Prabhakaran. This also comes days after the Tiruvannamalai district police termed the claims made by the jawan and the family members "exaggerated".
He also allegedly instructs Vinodh to mobilise people to speak in favour of his wife and alleges that she was stripped half-naked and attacked. "The main thing is that we have to mobilise 10–20 people, our people, for the strike, and they should say that my wife was stripped half-naked and attacked and not admit that they stabbed the owner of the shop," he added, "You will understand in a day or two the amount of work I have put in." He also goes on to say that several politicians, ministers, and officials from the CM’s office spoke to him, and he also spoke to "one important person” whose details he can't divulge.
In the audio conversation, the voice purportedly belonging to Prabhakaran is speaking to Vinodh and enquiring about the whereabouts of his brother-in-laws, Jeeva and Udaya, who are absconding after the incident and are accused of stabbing the shop owner. The voice purportedly belonging to Prabhakaran also instructs Vinodh not to mention the stabbing. “Tell them that you reacted when you saw that your sister got beaten up. If they ask about stabbing, ask them whether they have evidence to prove it? Don't talk about stabbing and just ask them if you can't react when your sister gets beaten up. You have to talk this way only.”
An elaborate coverup?
The stabbing referred to in the audio clip is an incident allegedly involving Prabhakaran’s brother-in-law that took place on June 10, in Palavedu village in Tiruvannamalai.
TNM visited the Palavedu village where the incident took place and spoke to multiple eyewitnesses who also confirmed that a scuffle broke out between the soldier’s family and the owner of their rented shop. They also said that Prabhakaran’s wife had only been pushed in the melee and Prabhakaran’s claims that she was stripped and molested were untrue.
Ramu had leased out his property as a shop to the jawan’s family for Rs. 9.50 lakh for five years. According to eyewitnesses, Ramu used to often visit the shop. He had wanted Prabhakaran’s family to vacate the shop, and an agreement was signed between both parties to vacate the shop by February 10, 2023. However, Prabhakaran’s family allegedly refused to vacate the shop as per the agreement.
"When Ramu visited the shop, there was an argument between him and the tenants. The army man’s brother-in-law stabbed the landlord with a knife, and the locals who were witnessing the incident were angry and ransacked the shop. The wife of the army jawan was not stripped half naked, as claimed by them. There is a video of the brother-in-law of the army jawan stabbing the landlord, and it is recorded in the CCTV," Shankar, a local resident, told TNM.
Shankar also accused the jawan of trying to twist the facts and deflect attention from the whole issue when the jawan’s brother-in-law was caught on a CCTV camera stabbing the landlord and running away from the scene. "Whatever Prabhakaran has claimed is absolutely false. We are locals, and we saw the incident. We were witnesses to it. When we inquired, we were told that the jawan’s brother-in-law stabbed the shop owner, and there is CCTV footage of him running away from the scene. Army jawan Prabhakaran is changing the story and claims that his wife was stripped half-naked; whatever the police SP has said is true," he alleged.
Another eyewitness, Kulandaivelu, who was present at the spot, told TNM that those who had gathered outside the shop tried to stop the jawan’s brother-in-law, who stabbed the landlord multiple times. "We were at the tea shop, we saw the landlord of the shop bleeding, and the people who had gathered tried to stop the fight, the army jawan’s wife was not stripped half naked and attacked. It is a false claim," he added.
A top police official told TNM that on the day of the incident, the issue was brought to the attention of the Tamil Nadu police by the Army, and immediately a probe was ordered, but for some reason the jawan decided to release a video making alarming claims. "This prompted the police to release the preliminary findings of the probe," the officer added.
TNM also saw the hospital records of Ramu, the landlord of the shop, who suffered multiple stab wounds on his head and shoulders. According to the Accident Register (AR) entry, Ramu was brought to the hospital by 11.20 a.m on June 10 and had suffered injuries to his head and shoulders. Whereas, the AR entry of the jawan’s wife, Keerthi, says that she was admitted at 4.20 p.m on the same day., and there is no mention of any serious injuries.
A police source said that the time difference between Ramu and Keerthi’s admission into the hospital is also being probed. "Why would a person who is beaten up by a mob of 120 people get admitted to the hospital after six hours?" he asked.
The police are also probing the contents of the leaked phone conversation allegedly between Prabhakaran and a person named Vinodh. According to police sources, the conversation was recorded on June 11.
Speaking to TNM, Iyan Karthikeyan, the editor of YouTurn, a fact-checking portal, said that there is a clear conspiracy in which personal and domestic disputes involving an Army jawan and his family were twisted and a controversy was deliberately created to portray Tamil Nadu in poor light.
"The video of the Army jawan was first tweeted by an ex-Army officer, Lt. Col. Thiyagarajan, who is a sympathiser of the BJP. My suspicion is whether the Army jawan reached out to him before and after that the video was released on social media. Prabhakaran said in the phone conversation that he spoke to someone, and he says protests will be held across Tamil Nadu over this issue. So the question is whether all this was preplanned?" asked Karthikeyan.
TNM also spoke to Lt. Col. N. Thiagarajan, who first tweeted the video of jawan Prabhakaran on social media. According to him, he received the video on WhatsApp and shared it online, seeking action. "I got the video on WhatsApp, and I saw the background of the location. I found that it is a Jammu and Kashmir kind of location; the man wearing the uniform is a proper jawan; the man took the name of the SP and narrated what happened to his wife. So I demanded action, which any human being can do," he said.
When asked about the alleged conversation between the Army jawan and Vinod, Lt. Col. Thiagarajan says he can’t answer the question. "Ask this question to him and not to me. What can I say?" he added.
When TNM tried to contact Army Jawan Prabhakaran, his number was switched off.