Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) president Seeman continues to make public and offensive comments against an actor who has accused him of sexual assault, claiming that she attempted to extort a monthly payment of Rs 30,000 to 35,000 from him. Earlier, Seeman had dismissed the allegations in a press meet, referring to the actor as a “sex worker.” His remarks sparked widespread public backlash and prompted the actor to release a video statement condemning him.
Seeman is accused of initiating a sexual relationship with the actor under false promises of marriage. She has also alleged that he forced her to undergo multiple abortions. In 2011, Seeman was booked for rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation. Though the actor later withdrew her complaint, she approached the police again in 2023 with a fresh complaint.
On March 3, Seeman, using distasteful language, told the press that the actor had grown close to him, then filed a false case and used it to blackmail him for a monthly payment of Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000.
Last week, when asked about the charges against him, Seeman again referred to the actor as a sex worker. In response, the actor released a video statement, tearfully condemning the NTK chief and stating that he would eventually face consequences for causing her such distress. Her statement further fueled public outrage against Seeman.
The matter has escalated since February 14 when he failed to respond to summons asking him to appear at Neelankarai police station for questioning. On February 27, his home security guard and another supporter were detained for threatening police personnel, who had attempted to deliver the summons in person, with a gun. Reacting to the incident on February 28, Seeman had defended the two men before going on to dismiss the actor’s allegations and made multiple offensive comments regarding rape.
Seeman’s continued tirade against a woman who has accused him of rape is all the more repulsive coming from a party president. The NTK has previously claimed to aim for gender equality in political representation by allocating 50% of contested seats to women during the 2024 and 2019 general elections and during the 2021 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. The party’s candidate for the recently concluded Erode East bye polls was also a woman.
However such gestures do not align with Seeman’s increasingly vicious rhetoric against an alleged rape survivor. His comments beg the question what safety measures and redressal mechanisms the NTK has in place internally, if at all, for the many women cadres who contest elections for the party. Further, such language, lack of both accountability and legal action against Seeman, despite his public slut shaming of the alleged survivor, may only serve to embolden other male politicians, across party lines, and men in general, if they are ever similarly accused of sexual misconduct.