A 25-year-old Dalit woman died by suicide on April 14 following an attack allegedly by DMK members who were angered after she questioned the bias in distributing utensils as gift items. The incident took place in Valaikattai village in Tiruchirappalli district. The deceased has been identified as Sindhuja. She was married to Prashanth and is survived by her daughter.
According to the police, on the night of April 13, at around 7.30 pm, local DMK workers campaigning for their candidate, S Kathiravan, were distributing gifts on behalf of the party. However, when Sindhuja requested one, the DMK members allegedly refused, stating that the gifts would be distributed only to their associates and party members, police said in a statement.
Objecting to this, Sindhuja reportedly threatened to raise the issue when the DMK candidate visited the village seeking votes. Angered by her response, the accused allegedly pulled her hair and her churidar, abused her using obscene language, and assaulted her with a broomstick.
According to the police, Sindhuja’s husband, Prasanth, who works as a driver, was out of town at the time of the incident. The following day, Sindhuja reportedly confronted her husband for not taking action against the accused. She then pushed him out of the house, locked the door from inside, and attempted suicide.
With the help of neighbours, Prasanth broke open the door and tried to rescue her. Although she was rushed to the hospital, she was declared dead on arrival.
On Wednesday, Sindhuja’s family and relatives blocked the Trichy–Lalgudi Road, demanding the arrest of the perpetrators.
Subsequently, following a complaint by Sindhuja’s mother, a case was registered against nine individuals—Raja, Rajendran, Ravikumar, Rajkumar, Sureshkumar, Pushpam, Rajeswari, Karthiga, and Angumani—under Sections 296 (obscene acts), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351 (criminal intimidation), 79 (insult to the modesty of a woman), and 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act and the Representation of the People Act.
Among the accused, six were arrested, produced before a court, and remanded in judicial custody, while the remaining three are absconding. Superintendent of Police Selvanagarathinam stated that efforts are underway to arrest the other accused soon.
Meanwhile, several political leaders condemned the incident on social media, including TVK president and actor Vijay, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran, former BJP state president K. Annamalai, AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran, PMK leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, and the AIADMK IT wing.