Police in Kanyakumari district have arrested Christopher, a central district executive committee member of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), for allegedly sexually harassing a college student near Thuckalay, Kanyakumari Police said in a statement. According to the police, the complainant, a second-year postgraduate student at a private college in Nagercoil, was waiting at a bus stop with a friend when Christopher, who was passing by in a car, offered them a lift, citing the rain. Police said he dropped the friend first and then, while taking the student towards her house, stopped the car midway and allegedly harassed her. The student later informed her parents and a complaint was lodged at Thuckalay police station, following which a case was registered. Police said Christopher had been absconding after the registration of the case and has now been arrested, and that further investigation is underway. The student is not being named.
Source: ANI via The Daily Jagran
The case was registered earlier this month. Reporting when the case was first booked said it was registered under Sections 75(1) and 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with sexual harassment offences. The allegations have not been established in court.
Source: Karavali Times
Reacting to the arrest, Tamil Nadu Minister C.T. Nirmal Kumar said that anyone, at any level, who has made a mistake cannot escape the law and justice, that this was the Chief Minister's instruction, and that there has been no political interference in these cases, ANI reported.
Source: ANI via The Daily Jagran
The arrest follows pressure from the opposition. DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi had questioned Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on the steps that would be taken against the accused and demanded protection for the student, while AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami condemned the incident and urged legal action without political interference.
Source: Karavali Times
Earlier reports had said the student submitted a written request asking for the complaint to be withdrawn, and opposition parties alleged intimidation behind that request; those claims have not been independently verified. Police now say Christopher has been arrested and a detailed investigation remains underway.