Pollachi traders plan protest, shutdown on March 19

Pollachi/Chennai, March 16

The trading community here is planning a protest shutdown on Tuesday and a rally demanding a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Pollachi serial rape-cum-blackmail case, said a shopkeeper.

Speaking to IANS, traders said the shutdown and rally will see participation of different political parties and social organisations.

After days of protests by students, political parties and various other social organisations it was relatively calm on Saturday here.

Four people—Thirunavukkarasu, Sathish, Sabarirajan, and Vasanthakumar, all in their 20s—have been accused of raping women in Pollachi and filming the act to blackmail them for money or for physical submission for over seven years.

Students and other organisations hit the roads for the past several days demanding stringent punishment for the culprits.

The Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) has taken one of the prime accused—Thirunavukkarasu—to an undisclosed location for questioning.

The CBCID got Thirunavukkarasu's custody on Friday. It has already written to social media organisations requesting them to remove the videos pertaining to the Pollachi abuse case.

On Friday, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court told the central government to remove all videos related to the Pollachi serial sexual assaults from the Internet.

In Chennai, a lawyer has filed a public interest litigation in the High Court for a court-monitored CBI probe. The petition was expected to come up for hearing next week.

Anger 

Within the town, angrer simmers. What has shocked them most is that the key accused are boys next door.

Though the residents that IANS spoke to declined to go on record, they did express their anger at the sordid episode. Many felt violated too.

“The sexual abuse-cum-blackmail is unbelievable, shocking and shameful. Pollachi, an agricultural-cum-business town, always commanded respect from people in Tamil Nadu. But now its reputation is in tatters,” an hotelier told IANS. “Sabirajan’s father is a pious man, a hardworking mason. It is unbelievable that his son was involved in this.”

As the sordid details started oozing out, upset residents and students hit the streets demanding action against the accused. The district administration was forced to declare holiday for colleges as students seethed with anger and frustration. Students from other towns also joined the protests.

Various political parties and social organisations were also not far behind.

More than the girl, the boys have to be brought up carefully with proper counselling and monitoring, is the common refrain in the town.

“Recently I was in Madurai. There the driver of the taxi I hired was courteous and helpful. But when he came to know that I was from Pollachi, his attitude changed. He became silent. That in itself is a message,” Ganesh, a resident of Pollachi, told IANS. He also wondered how the accused continued to abuse women for over seven years.

The house where the girls were abused belonged to Thirunavukkarasu. People of the area were unaware of the happenings inside that house.

Neighbours of the accused too are surprised to know that the boy next door was involved in this horrible crime.

The town is famous for coconut and various other agri-products.

“Till 1980s different crops like sugarcane, turmeric, paddy and coconut were raised here. As getting agriculture labour became difficult, some land owners turned towards coconut farming or sold their lands to real estate developers,” a senior resident of the town told IANS.

He said Pollachi was famous in the region and commanded respect. Now, the reputation built over decades has been spoiled by the deeds of these accused.

The residents want the accused to be punished early to deter others from indulging in any such activity.

The view is shared not just by the residents of the town, but also the state as well as the nation.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai, noted music director Illaiyaraaja said: “My feelings on the Pollachi issue is similar to the feeling prevailing in every heart”. IANS