Chennai: Expressing shock and dismay over the gang rape of a 11-year-old girl in Chennai and a Russian tourist at Tiruvannamalai, DMK working president M.K.Stalin on Friday demanded strong measures and stiff punishment for the heinous culprits even as he accused the AIADMK government of failure to ensure women's safety and security.
He said in a statement here that the national statistics (crime records bureau) showed big rise in gruesome crimes such as sexual abuse of women and children, and killing of elders for money and gold, ever since the AIADMK came to power in 2011. He listed out various crimes against women in the state in the recent past.
Recalling a 13-point action plan announced by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa as her first announcement on the dawn of 2013 to ensure women's safety and prevent incidents of sexual harassment, Stalin alleged that the government neither bothered to implement the action plan nor took proper action against the perpetrators of crime against women.
"People are angry over the present law and order situation in the state," he said, citing as illustration the assault of the accused in the rape of the 11-year-old girl when they were produced in a court here earlier this week. He, however, added that none can be allowed to take law into their own hands.
The 11-year-old girl, who is hearing-impaired, was allegedly raped multiple times over the past seven months, and 17 of her suspected tormentors were arrested on July 17. They included a liftman, security guards, plumbers, electricians and other maintenance staff working in the apartment complex where the girl lived.
In the Tiruvannamalai crime, the 21-year-old Russian tourist was allegedly raped twice by the owner of the guest house where she had stayed, while his brother and two others 'outraged her modesty'. The four men have been arrested and remanded to custody on Thursday.
