TN decides to transfer woman sexual harassment case to CBI

Tightening the screws on a gang that allegedly sexually harassed and blackmailed a 19-year-old woman in Coimbatore district, police Tuesday booked four accused under the Goondas Act even as the Tamil Nadu government decided to handover the case to the CBI.

The case assumed political overtones after a local functionary of ruling AIADMK allegedly attacked the victim's brother and drew outrage with opposition parties led by DMK latching on to it ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The AIADMK subsequently expelled the functionary who had been arrested in the attack case.

In an apparent move to take the wind out of DMK's sails after the party targeted the AIADMK asking if it was protecting the accused, the state government decided to order a CBI probe into the case, hours after it was shifted to the Crime Branch CID from local police.

The harassment drew widespread condemnation after a leaked video of the survivor, in which she could be heard screaming and resisting her assailants.

The four men had on February 12 allegedly tried to strip the woman inside a car near Pollachi, over 500 km from here, and had shot a video of the act and blackmailed her using the visuals.

Reports in a section of media which claimed that the same gang had molested and blackmailed several other women, prompted political parties to demand a through probe and tough punishment for the accused.

A top state police official told PTI that the government has decided to transfer the case to the CBI and the administrative process of sending a formal request to the Centre was on.

Coimbatore District Collector Rajamani ordered detention of the four accused in the harassment case under the Goondas Act following recommendations by Superintendent of Police R Pandiarajan.

The four -- Thirunavakkarasu, Sathish, Sabariraj and Vasanthkumar- already under judicial custody had been booked under various sections of the IPC and Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

They will now face the Goondas Act as well which authorises detention upto a year.

Seeking to up the ante on the issue, the DMK led a demonstration at Pollachi.

Led by its Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, the outfit's cadres, including women, demanded tough action in the case.

Some women raised slogans like "Render justice," and "Where is our security?"