Shocking visuals emerged from Chennai’s Pallikaranai area in which a group of people are seen gathered around a woman who has fallen into a drain on the side of the road. As the video zooms in, three people are seen kicking and beating the woman while another woman runs away from the scene, towards the garbage collection tricycle, screaming.
The woman being harassed in the video is a sanitation worker from the city and the others hitting and kicking her are members of the same family residing in the area.
வீட்டின் முன்பு சரியாக சுத்தம் செய்யவில்லை என தூய்மை பணி பெண்களை அடித்து உதைத்து சாக்கடைக்குள் தள்ளி காலால் மிதித்து
— Mahalingam Ponnusamy (@mahajournalist) March 25, 2020
ஆடைகளை கிழித்த குடும்பத்தினர். Loc: சென்னை சோழிங்கநல்லூர் பகுதி. Plz help the lady worker - @rdc_south @albyjohnV @chennaipolice_ @chennaicorp pic.twitter.com/hoGFnpztwz
According to the FIR, the incident took place on Friday, March 20, around 10.30 am. The woman states in her complaint that while she was cleaning Meru street in Pallikarani locality along with a coworker, the man, 60-year-old Anand began hurling abuses at the two of them on the pretext that they had not cleaned outside his house. The women state in their complaint that at that point, they were cleaning outside the house next to his. “When we told him that we can only attend one house at a time for which he began using abusive words. When we asked him to speak respectfully to us, he once again abused us,” reads the complaint.
Anand then allegedly proceeded to physically harass the woman, pulled her hair and clothes and pushed her down.
The Conservancy Inspector was alerted by the others in the area and a complaint was received by Chennai Corporation. An FIR has been filed with the Pallikaranai police under Sections 294(b) (obscenity) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
The main accused, Anand, the house owner, who allegedly assaulted the sanitation worker, was remanded and then let out on bail on Tuesday. The deputy commissioner noted that she was medically examined and upon finding no injuries, was not admitted to the hospital.
When TNM reached out to the family of the sanitation worker, they shared that they have moved on and agreed to grant the bail upon request from his family members.
Speaking to TNM, Alby John, Chennai South Zone Deputy Commissioner, Chennai Corporation, said, “What happened is very unfortunate. Sanitary workers are frontline warriors and are very dedicated at this time of crisis. We will take the strictest of action and we will follow up the case and ensure that it reaches its logical conclusion.”