A woman functionary of the DMK was allegedly harassed at the protest against the non-formation of the Cauvery Management Board protest on Thursday.
Jayamani, the DMK functionary, was allegedly pushed and shoved by Prabhu, a member of the DMK youth wing. When she called him out on it, he allegedly abused her and her husband who came to her defence.
Speaking to TNM, Jayamani says, “Yesterday we were protesting. I was with the town secretary. First the man came and pushed one woman out of his eagerness to get in front of the protest. Then again he did the same to another woman. The police on guard and my husband also saw this. Then he came towards me. He put his hand on my sides and pushed me away because he wanted to stand next to the secretary. He didn’t want any of the women standing next to the secretary. So I told him we are enough to escort him.”
However, Jayamani alleges that no one helped her out. “He kept staring at me. He didn’t reply to me. Then I complained to the town secretary but he was just laughing and didn’t respond. Seeing this my husband asked him why the boy acted like that. Then he abused my husband. The secretary was totally on his side. I kept telling him to apologise to me. But he didn’t.”
When her husband and Prabhu got into a fight, she decided to take the issue to the police. The police, instead of taking her complaint, called the DMK town secretary Ganesan who asked him to ‘sort it out.’
Jayamani’s calls to district secretary Naniyur Raju were also in vain she says. “I have worked with the DMK. I even convince babies to support the rising sun (the DMK party symbol). We laid down on the roads and we fought for justice. But if women are treated like this, how can we be in politics?”
DMK's detractors on Twitter used the hashtag which implied that a woman was pinched on her hips. Though that was not the act that Jayamani has accused Prabhu of, she says she was harassed. Several people have called on DMK’s Working President Stalin to condemn the act, while many have mocked the whole issue.
Jayamani is convinced that there are some within the party who are working against women in the party. “I’m a bold woman. If I can be abused, then anyone can. On Wednesday, the women’s wing was appreciated for doing a good job of protesting. This made some men jealous. This has to come the attention of Thalapathy (MK Stalin),” she says.
Jayamani conducted a sit in protest last night in Karur to draw attention to the issue.
Responding to the issue, DMK Spokesperson Saravanan said, "If a complaint has been given, then the police must take action. The police should follow the legal procedure, investigate and establish the facts. Only after the investigation we will know what has transpired." However, Saravan also slams the IT wing of the AIADMK for using the incident to indulge in a smear campaign against the DMK. “They are unable to digest the fact that the protest was a smash success. They have made derogatory tweets on the matter. They should face legal action."