CHENNAI: Leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday condemned the sexual assault and murder of a three-year-old girl near Gummidipoondi and demanded that police identify the real culprits and ensure stringent punishment for them.
Expressing shock over the child's death after she was sexually assaulted and abandoned in a bush, Udhayanidhi said the incident was another reminder of the deteriorating law and order situation in Tamil Nadu. Crimes that people once read about as taking place somewhere far away in the north have become a daily occurrence in Tamil Nadu under this Sofa Model government, he said.
Accusing Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay of failing to protect women and children, Udhayanidhi said the chief minister, who had used children as a tool to seek votes during the election campaign, was now repeatedly failing in ensuring their safety.
He cited a series of recent incidents, including the alleged sexual harassment of more than 50 women in Salem by a person linked to the ruling party, an alleged case involving a ruling party functionary and a widowed woman in Alandur, and the recent sexual harassment complaint made by a woman police officer in Sivaganga. Law and order across Tamil Nadu is on a ventilator, he alleged.
Udhayanidhi said the government did not appear to have taken any concrete steps to restore law and order despite being in office for more than a month. He also accused the ruling dispensation of spending its time trying to purchase members of other parties instead of protecting public safety.
Demanding immediate intervention, he urged the chief minister to convene a high-level meeting of senior police officers and issue strict instructions to zonal and district-level officials to prevent crimes.
Warning of political action if such incidents continued, Udhayanidhi said the DMK would not hesitate to mobilise people and launch protests across the state.
