A woman four months pregnant was reportedly sexually assaulted and shoved off a train in Tamil Nadu, sparking outrage and a political conflict between the ruling DMK and the opposition. A single individual has been arrested by law enforcement in relation to the event.
A woman traveling to Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh was sexually assaulted by two men early Friday morning near Jolarpettai in Tirupattur district.
The woman headed to the train restroom when the two men intercepted her. While she was calling for help, the two men reportedly shoved her off the train close to KV Kuppam in Vellore district.
The woman employed at a clothing company in Coimbatore sustained fractures in her leg and hand and also suffered a head injury. She was brought to the District Government Hospital in Vellore for care.
The police in Jolarpettai have filed a case, and the Railway Police are reviewing CCTV footage to track down the offenders. Authorities also arrested an individual named Hemraj for interrogation regarding the matter.
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AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswamy denounced the event. Criticizing the DMK-led state government, he remarked, “The report that a pregnant woman was assaulted sexually by two men and subsequently thrown off a train when she attempted to yell is horrifying. It is utterly disgraceful that women in Tamil Nadu are unsafe on the streets; cannot attend schools, colleges, or jobs; and now are even unable to travel through train.”
This is the most recent incident in a string of sexual assaults reported in Tamil Nadu in recent weeks.