In the wake of the sexual assault at Anna University in Chennai, Actor and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay submitted a petition to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Monday, December 30, demanding safety for women in the state. He also highlighted the incident as a “disturbing breakdown in law and order.”
The accused, Gnanasekaran, allegedly had close ties with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders. According to the FIR, the accused had filmed the survivor and her male friend inside the campus to demand sexual favours. He then threatened to leak the footage and went on to sexually assault the survivor.
In a handwritten letter, Vijay said, “Evil incidents against women, including mothers and daughters, have become a daily concern, spanning across educational campuses and beyond. This widespread issue in the state highlights a disturbing breakdown in law and order, with victims from all walks of life facing increasing vulnerability.”
He criticised the DMK government and said that the letter was to address Tamil Nadu government’s apathy towards sexual crimes against vulnerable women in the state.
The Madras High Court on Saturday directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into this case. The bench of justices SM Subramaniam and V Lakshminarayan also ordered the state government to pay an interim compensation of ₹25 lakh to the survivor for the lapse on the part of the police in revealing her details in the first information report (FIR) made available to the public on the police website.
The letter also urged the Governor to expedite the release of pending compensation for areas affected by Cyclone Fengal that wreaked havoc in November 2024