CHENNAI — Tamil
Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai lashed himself six times with a whip on Friday
morning outside his residence in Coimbatore.
The act was part of a personal protest against the sexual
assault of an Anna University student. Annamalai had announced on Thursday that
he would whip himself as a symbolic act of protest against the incident.
He also vowed to not wear slippers until the DMK government
is removed from power in Tamil Nadu.
The BJP leader stated that he would pray at all six temples
of Lord Muruga, the revered war deity in southern India.
The former IPS officer has been leading the Tamil Nadu BJP
with an aggressive approach and has been vocal in his criticism of the ruling
DMK government.
Annamalai condemned the police for leaking the FIR related
to the sexual assault case, which resulted in the identification of the
19-year-old victim, an engineering student at Anna University.
He accused the authorities of intentionally leaking the
details and failing to ensure the safety and anonymity of the survivor.
The BJP president further alleged that the accused,
Gnanashekaran, was not included in the police’s rowdy list despite being
involved in several criminal cases already.
He claimed that this omission was due to Gnanashekaran’s
close ties with DMK leaders and provided evidence of the accused’s affiliation
with the ruling party.
Annamalai also accused DMK of attempting to divert attention
from the deteriorating law and order situation in Tamil Nadu by promoting a
false narrative of a North-South divide.
The incident occurred when the victim and her male friend
were sitting in a secluded area of the Anna University campus after attending a
midnight Christmas mass at a nearby church.
Gnanashekaran allegedly attacked the male friend, brutally
assaulting him, before dragging the girl to a nearby shrub and raped her.
The Chennai Police have faced severe criticism for the lapse
in security. Authorities had earlier claimed to have implemented comprehensive
safety measures for Christmas celebrations, with over 8,000 officers deployed.
