Chennai, Jan 6: The Greater Chennai Police arrested AIADMK Students’ Wing Secretary, Singai Ramachandran, along with others, while attempting to distribute black armbands to students of Anna University in protest against a recent sexual assault case.

The protest was held despite the police denying permission for demonstrations.

The AIADMK student wing had announced the protest against the sexual assault of a second-year Anna University engineering student, which occurred on December 23.

The protest was scheduled to take place outside the Anna University campus at 8.30 a.m.

However, the police had earlier warned the student wing leaders of arrest if they proceeded with the demonstration.

Heavy police deployment has been reported at the university campus.

The AIADMK has announced plans to raise the arrests of their student leaders, including State Secretary Singai Ramachandran, in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which begins its session in the day.

The assault occurred on December 23 when a second-year engineering student and her male friend, a senior at the university, were sitting in a secluded area of the campus after attending a Christmas program.

According to the victim’s complaint, the accused attacked her male friend, brutally assaulting him, before dragging her into nearby shrubs and raping her.

The police acted swiftly and arrested a 37-year-old roadside biryani vendor, Gnanshekharan, for the crime.

The incident has sparked outrage across the state. Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai staged a dramatic protest outside his residence in Coimbatore, where he flogged himself six times to symbolize what he called the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

He also announced plans to undertake a 48-day fast and visit all six holy abodes of Lord Murugan as part of his protest.

Annamalai criticised the Tamil Nadu Police for leaking the FIR of the case, which revealed the identity of the 19-year-old victim, a violation of her privacy.

He also alleged that the accused, Gnanshekharan, was not included in the police’s rowdy list despite having over 20 prior cases against him.

He claimed this was due to the accused’s connections with leaders of the ruling DMK party.

The BJP chief, a former IPS officer, presented evidence that the accused was a functionary of the DMK.

He accused the party of attempting to divert attention from Tamil Nadu’s law and order issues by fabricating a narrative around a North-South divide.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has announced plans to submit a detailed report on the incident to the Centre.

NCW member Mamta Kumari visited Anna University to investigate the case. “We visited every corner of Anna University and conducted a thorough investigation. We met with the affected girl and her family to gather all the necessary information. We also met the Governor of Tamil Nadu to discuss the matter,” Mamta Kumari stated.

She further added, “A detailed report will be submitted to the Central government through the NCW. Whoever is found guilty will face strict punishment.“

Kolkata, Jan 4: With the process being completed for recording of statements by witnesses in the case related to the rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, the final arguments and counter-arguments in the matter are slated to start at a special court in Kolkata from Saturday.

Sources said in this part the arguments and counter-arguments will mainly be between the counsels of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the “sole prime accused” in the crime of rape and murder Sanjay Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police.

However, there will be no media access to this session as well since it has been decided from the beginning that the entire trial process in the matter will be in-camera and barring those associated with the case and their counsels, no one else will be allowed to be present within the courtroom.

Sources said that the CBI has already submitted its investigation report in the matter to the special court.

Legal circles feel one of the most dominant factors in the process of argument and counter-arguments will be the latest report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) which has raised serious questions on the “scene of crime” in the matter.

The body of the victim doctor was recovered from the seminar hall within R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9 last year.

Accordingly, first the Kolkata Police and thereafter the CBI carried out the investigation considering the seminar hall as the “scene of crime”.

However, the recently-surfaced CSFL report, a copy of which is available with IANS, has clearly stated there is no scientific evidence of a scuffle within the seminar room.

The CSFL report strengthened the apprehension raised by a section of the medical fraternity in the state that the actual “scene of crime” was someplace else and the body was shifted to the seminar hall to mislead future investigations.

The CSFL also clearly stated that the confidentiality factor of the post-mortem process was totally compromised and standard protocols were not followed.

At the same time while not ruling out the possibility of the involvement of just one accused in the crime, the CSFL report advocated for further research based on different past scientific reports by experts in similar cases which can lead to the final conclusion on whether more than one person was involved in the crime.

New Delhi, Jan 3: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the acquittal of controversial self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of the Dera Sacha Sauda in the Ranjit Singh murder case.

A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar directed to tag the CBI’s special leave petition with another pending petition filed by a family member of the deceased against the acquittal of Ram Rahim and four other accused.

In September 2024, a bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma agreed to examine a plea filed by the complainant Jasgeer Singh and sought responses from the CBI, Ram Rahim and the other accused persons.

In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed the appeals moved by Ram Rahim and others who were convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula in 2021.

A bench of Justices Sureshwar Thakur and Lalit Batra of the high court acquitted Avtar Singh, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, and Krishan Lal, all of whom were awarded life sentences along with the self-styled godman.

Despite the acquittal, Ram Rahim remained in prison as he stood convicted in other cases of rape and murder. Former Dera manager Ranjit Singh was shot by four assailants on July 10, 2002, at Khanpur Kolian village in Haryana’s Kurukshetra.

In 2021, a special CBI court found Ram Rahim and others guilty of the murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. It was suspected that Ranjit Singh was murdered because of his alleged role in circulating a letter that narrated how the sect head was sexually exploiting women at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati later used the same letter in a news report. He was killed soon after the report was published. Ram Rahim was also convicted on the charges of murdering the journalist.