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A member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)’s legal wing has filed a complaint seeking action against Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister P Viswanathan under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following the circulation of a video from an event in Madurai district that has triggered political controversy.
Advocate Saranya Natarajan lodged the complaint on Wednesday, June 24, with the Director General of Police and other senior police officials.
The complaint pertains to an anti-drug awareness run held in Melur on June 21 to mark the birthdays of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
A video from the event, which has been widely shared on social media, shows Viswanathan interacting with students, and then touching the feet and legs of girl participants and cracking their toe knuckles while speaking with them.
In her complaint, Saranya alleged that the minister had engaged in deliberate physical contact with minor girls during the event. She sought action under Sections 11 and 12 (sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Speaking to PTI, Saranya said the video was “intolerable to watch” and that she had waited for a response by the minister after it was reported by national media.
“The Higher Education Minister, School Education Minister and cyber crime police should stop circulating the video as it is going viral without blurring the children,” she said.
She added that the complaint had been filed under provisions of the POCSO Act and demanded Viswanathan resign from his ministerial post.
The issue had earlier drawn criticism from DMK leaders, including former minister SS Sivasankar, who said lessons on “good touch and bad touch”, usually taught to school children, should also be extended to members of the Cabinet.
Responding to the allegations, Viswanathan denied any wrongdoing and accused the DMK of attempting to politicise the issue.
In a statement, he said some students had fainted after participating in the 4 km awareness run conducted in hot weather and that he had stepped in to assist them.
“Due to the intense heat, some participants fainted and collapsed. Acting out of humanitarian concern, I lifted those girls, sprinkled water on them to help regain consciousness, and provided first aid,” he said.