The Tamil Nadu police has arrested a total of 329 people in connection with the Kallakurichi violence that broke out on 17 June 2022. While 128 were produced before the Kallakurichi court today, cases against 100 more will be heard later. Meanwhile, 20 minors who are accused will be produced before the Villupuram juvenile court soon.
The police have filed the case under 10 different sections of the IPC, which includes section 147 (unlawful assault), section 148 (assault with weapons), section 294b (obscenity), and section 146 (rioting). The police have also issued a prohibitory order under section 144 in Kallakurichi and neighbouring taluk of Chinnasalem till 31 July 2022.
Apart from the angry protestors who were arrested by the police for causing violence across the town, the police have also arrested Kaniyamoor Sakthi Matriculation School’s principal Shivashankaran, school secretary Shanti, school correspondent Ravikumar and two other teachers in relation to the case.
Madras High Court Orders Re-Autopsy, Asks Police To Ensure Peace During the Funeral
The Madras High Court, hearing the petition filed by the deceased schoolgirl’s father Ramalingam, said that the case was now being handled by the CB-CID.
Warning that nobody can take law into their own hands, the Madras High Court directed the agency to find out those behind the violence and also set up a special task force to unearth the details.
The court also said it was necessary to find out what was the cause of the student's death and ordered a re-postmortem of the student’s body with it being video recorded.
During the time of the autopsy, the deceased's father and his advocate are allowed to be present, and the police are being asked to ensure that the petitioner be given his daughter’s body without any problems to perform the funeral rituals.
The Madras High Court made another directive and said that whenever deaths occur in educational institutions in the future, an inquiry should be conducted by the CB-CID alone and the postmortem process should be conducted by a team of at least three doctors.
Expressing sympathy towards the parents of the deceased schoolgirl, the court said that violence must controlled with an iron fist. Addressing the public prosecutor, the judge said, "Do not think your work is done because the violence has been contained. Take this as a test case. Do not let anyone down. Otherwise, total lawlessness will take over the state. The police should not give into 100 people gathering and engaging in violence. How will they decide whether it is a fair trail or not?"
Ordering strict action against those who indulged in violence, the court asked the police to also file a report, before 29 July 2022, on the riots that broke out. Meanwhile, the petitioner was advised not to give any interview to the media given the violent situation that prevailed across the town.
What Are the Parents of Deceased Saying?
The family has refused to accept the Kaniyamoor Sakthi Matriculation School’s claim and the first post-mortem report submitted to the court by the police department. The parents of the dead 17-year old from Cuddalore district assert that the autopsy and the version given by the school to be fake and baseless.
According to a report published by Times Now, the deceased’s mother claimed that her daughter’s body was largely swollen and that there were injury marks all over. She further added that when she and her husband visited the school, there was no evidence of her falling from the third flood. “There was not even a single drop of blood there and school management is not answering our questions and I firmly believe that the school has something to do with her death,” she alleged.
Meanwhile, the father of deceased also questioned the autopsy report and asked why the school authorities did not rush her daughter to the hospital. Submitting to the High Court that they had no role in the violence that ensued on 17 July, the father thanked the court which ordered another post-mortem.
CM Stalin Assures Action, AIADMK Alleges Law & Order in Tatters
Speaking about the violence that occurred over the death of 17-year old in Kallakurichi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin said that the unfortunate event has caused emotional distress among all.
"Anymore violence will not be tolerated. I assure you that the culprit will be brought to book and be punished," added the chief minister.
Calling for people to maintain peace, the CM Stalin also assured that there would be speedy justice for the deceased student and her parents. However, he remarked that some people had taken advantage of this sad situation to engage in illegal activities.
Meanwhile, the AIADMK Interim General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami alleged that the police in the state were out of control and accused them of not enforcing law and order properly in the state.
Terming the government to be a passive reactor, Palaniswami said that the incident could have been avoided had the police filed a complaint and taken precautionary measures.
"The Tamil Nadu government is bowing its head in shame after failing in women's safety and legal protection. Three days after this unfortunate incident, riots are taking place. This because of the government's indifference and failure of the intelligence agency," he added.
Meanwhile, few private school in Tamil Nadu called for a bandh condemning the violence that followed the 17-year old's death in Kallakurichi.
Speaking to the reporters in Chennai, KR Nandakumar, state secretary of TN Matriculation and CBSE Schools Association said, "Teachers will come to school wearing black bands as a mark of protest and will not hold any classes. There is no safety for private schools in the state. We demand a separate law in this aspect."
Opposing the lackadaisical approach of the police, advocates practising in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court protested outside the court campus demanding safety for girl students in schools and also condemned the private schools for deciding to close the institutions today.
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