'Stripped, Beaten With Slippers': Dalit Girl Alleges Assault by DMK MLA's Family

The Chennai Police on Friday, 19 January, registered a case under several sections of the SC/ST Act.

An 18-year-old Dalit domestic worker was allegedly abused, assaulted, and tortured by her employer Antho Mathivanan, son of DMK MLA I Karunanithi, and his wife in Chennai.

(Photo: Image used for representation purposes)

(Trigger Warning: Descriptions of sexual and physical violence. Reader discretion advised.)

"I was beaten with slippers, spoons, a broom, and a mop, which left bloody wounds all over my body... Once, I was stripped naked, beaten badly... My hair was cut with scissors."

This is what an 18-year-old Dalit domestic worker, who was allegedly abused, assaulted, and tortured by her employer – Antho Mathivanan, the son of DMK MLA I Karunanithi, and his wife Marlina Ann – wrote in her complaint submitted to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP).

Based on the complaint on 18 January – a copy of which is with The Quint – a case has been registered against Mathivanan and Marlina Ann for allegedly torturing the 18-year-old, the Chennai Police said in a statement released on Friday, 19 January.

"A case has been filed under the SC/ST Act [Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act], Section 506(1) (criminal intimidation), Section 294 (obscene act), and Section 354 (assault)," a police official confirmed to The Quint.

Pallavaram MLA Karunanithi, however, denied the allegations and called it "politically motivated," NDTV reported. The Quint has reached out to Karunanithi and this story will be updated with his response.

'Made To Drink Chilli Powder Mixed With Water'

In a purported audio testimony shared by Madurai-based NGO Evidence on 18 January, the girl alleged that she was tormented by the MLA's son and daughter-in-law for nearly eight months in Chennai.

A native of Ulundurpet in Kallakurichi district, roughly 200-km away from the Tamil Nadu capital, the complainant and her mother had moved to Chennai's Thiruvanmiyur seeking employment.

The complainant claimed that she secured 433 marks out of 600 in her Class 12 examination and wanted to pursue MBBS by clearing NEET.

However, due to financial constraints, she was forced move in with Mathivanan's family as a domestic worker in April 2023, with a monthly salary of Rs 16,000, according to the complaint. She wanted to use this money for her NEET coaching, it added.

Once she joined work at their residence, Mathivanan and Marlina repeatedly assaulted her, the complaint further alleged.

The 18-year-old also claimed that she was not paid her wages, was prevented from communicating with her family, and denied medical attention when she suffered injuries following the alleged assaults.

"When she [Marlina] hits me with a spoon, sandal, broom, etc., she hit my head, face, feet, hands, and everywhere. One day, he [Mathivanan] beat from 11 am to 10 pm. I had bloody bruises. Apart from that, he cut my hair with scissors and assaulted me. Due to this, my whole body was severely injured. He would ask me to raise my hands and hit my chest with a soup spoon. He lays me down and kicks me in the face with his sandal foot... One day he stripped me naked and beat me severely... Whenever he hits me hard, he switches off the CCTV camera in the house."

18-year-old complainant

The survivor alleged that the DMK MLA's daughter-in-law forced her to drink water mixed with chilli powder.

"Even if I don't do the smallest task properly, they would slap me on my face. Once, they asked me to prepare food by 6 am because they were going out of town. I hadn't slept till 2 am the previous night. Nobody can survive without sleeping. I could only get up by 7 am. Because I couldn't keep the food ready, they burnt my hands using a hair straightener."

18-year-old complainant

'Threatened Me Not To Tell Anyone'

In the complaint, the girl alleged to the police that Marlina would threaten her saying they belong to an "MLA's family and nobody would come to her help if she told anyone about the alleged torture."

Three months ago, when the complainant's mother asked Marlina about the salary, the latter claimed that the 18-year-old was enrolled in an online class worth Rs 2 lakh, according to the complaint. She also alleged that she was not allowed to see her mother.

On 15 January, after a request by the girl's mother, Mathivanan and Marlina dropped her home in Ulundurpet to celebrate Pongal.

"On seeing me, my mother asked nervously, 'What is there so much hurt on you?'" Marlina told her that she knocked into a cupboard. "It was only after they that I told my mother what had happened to me," the girl said in her complaint.

The girl was taken to a hospital in Ulundurpet by her family. During her medical examination, the doctors found 'severe injuries', based on which the police officials were alerted.

The Ulundurpet Police further informed the Thiruvanmiyur Police Station.