Coimbatore: “If a child is not able to play some 20 feet from home, it is not a safe Tamil Nadu..,” said Makkal Neethi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan yesterday after meeting the parents of the seven-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and killed last week. He stated that swift action must be taken to nab the culprits.
He further urged the State government to make efforts to bring the culprits to book. He met the rural superintendent of police R Pandiarajan and wanted the culprits to be arrested.
Coming close on the heels of sexual harassment of women in nearby Pollachi, the rape of the minor received widespread condemnation, including from leaders of political parties, with some demanding death sentence for the criminals. On 25 March, the class 2 student was reported missing and was found dead with limbs tied and injuries on the body the next day. The post-mortem report revealed that the girl was sexually assaulted and throttled to death.
Haasan yesterday cancelled his election campaign and rushed to Coimbatore to meet the family of the victim. The actor-politician was supposed to canvass for his party candidates in Chennai yesterday, but he had left for Coimbatore by flight yesterday morning.