Chennai, Aug 19:
DMDK general secretary and Vriddhachalam MLA Premalatha Vijayakant on Tuesday called for stringent punishment for those convicted of sexual offences against women and children, and urged the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate steps to prevent such crimes.
Participating in the Assembly debate on demands for grants for Public Works, Highways, Sports Development and Human Resources Management, Premalatha said 10 children had reportedly faced sexual assault in the past five days and stressed the need for swift investigation and strict punishment.
She said those convicted of sexual offences should face the harshest punishment after due legal process. Referring to punishments followed in some Arab countries, she said similar stringent measures could be considered in India. She also remarked that encounters were the only solution to such crimes.
Premalatha linked the rise in crimes to the growing drug culture and referred to the Amuthan and Dhanush murder cases while calling for a stronger crackdown on narcotics. She urged the government to encourage youngsters to take up sports, saying it would help keep them away from drugs and make them responsible citizens.
Referring to the recent Karur incident in which a woman allegedly attacked a man accused of sexually assaulting a girl, Premalatha praised the woman as a “real Velu Nachiyar” and said such resistance by women could send a strong message to offenders.
She also raised several civic and environmental issues during the debate. She urged the government to renovate damaged government buildings, including schools, colleges and offices, preserve heritage structures, maintain bridges and improve roads across the State.
On environmental concerns, she flagged alleged fish deaths caused by sewage discharge at Ennore port, industrial pollution affecting marine life and the impact of hydrocarbon projects on agricultural land.
Premalatha further urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to raise the killing of three Tamils in Karnataka with the neighbouring State’s Chief Minister at the meeting of southern States.
Responding to the concerns raised in the House, Speaker JCD Prabhakar and Leader of the House K A Sengottaiyan said the Chief Minister had already taken firm steps to curb drug abuse and crimes against women and children.