The sexual assault on a girl student at the prestigious state-run Anna University in the heart of Chennai, on the night before Christmas eve, has sent shockwaves across the state. The incident has triggered outrage, with opposition parties cornering the DMK government on Thursday by announcing protests and demonstrations.

The second-year Mechanical Engineering student was sexually assaulted by two persons who thrashed her boyfriend with whom she was talking after dinner inside the campus near the Raj Bhavan in the city. She was taken to a secluded place and sexually assaulted. Acting on the victim’s complaint, the All Women Police Station of Kotturpuram arrested one of the accused, Gnanasekaran (37), a roadside biriyani shop vendor near the campus, and a search is underway for the other suspect.

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The opposition AIADMK and the BJP staged demonstrations demanding justice for the sexual assault victim and protesting the leak of the FIR, which exposed her identity, mobile number, and parental details. Former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who took part in the BJP protest, was detained by the police along with party functionaries and supporters. During the AIADMK demonstration, former minister D Jayakumar and party workers were detained.

Finding the issue a convenient handle to target the DMK, BJP state president K Annamalai, alleged that the accused, Gnanasekaran, belonged to the DMK and showed his photographs with DMK Ministers, including those published in the DMK party’s official organ ‘Murasoli’.

Addressing the media in Coimbatore, he vowed not to wear footwear until the DMK was ousted from power. He announced plans to flog himself six times on Friday morning in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate and to undertake a 48-day-long vrat (fasting by skipping breakfast) before seeking divine intervention from Lord Murugan at his famed six abodes, seeking justice. Condemning the ‘criminal laxity’ of the DMK government on women’s safety and security, he questioned how the FIR was leaked in the public domain. He also ridiculed the claim that CCTV cameras were not functional on the Anna University campus. At the close of the presser, Annamalai said his politics would be different hereafter and would be a no-holds-barred one. Then, he removed his shoes.

The DMK deployed two ministers – Education Minister Govi Chezhiyan and Law Minister S Regupathy — to counter the opposition charges. “The government will ensure that the accused, Gnanasekaran, receives stringent punishment as per the law. He does not belong to the DMK, and the party has nothing to hide in this incident. He has no connection with the DMK, and the opposition charge is false and motivated. The accused has been remanded, and only further investigation will reveal the involvement of others. The police acted swiftly and arrested the accused within five hours of receiving the complaint. There is no need for the Chief Minister or the government to cover up the incident,” Regupathy told the media at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam. Turning the tables on the AIADMK, he said, “In the Pollachi sexual assault scandal, in which a prominent person’s son was involved, attempts were made to cover it up during the AIADMK government. Recently, the son-in-law of an AIADMK leader was arrested in Rameswaram for placing a secret camera in the changing rooms for women in Rameswaram. That’s the AIADMK.”

He also denied the charge that the victim’s identity was revealed in the FIR. “The government did not try to silence the victim. She came bravely and filed the complaint herself, trusting the government,” he added. Questioning the BJP about its record in states ruled by the saffron party, he said, “Many incidents of sexual violence with a huge impact across the country have taken place in BJP-ruled states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government acted in support of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who sexually harassed female athletes. The protesting athletes were beaten up by the Delhi police,” he pointed out.

Both the AIADMK and BJP have announced statewide protests on Friday.