10-year-old girl sexually assaulted and murdered in Tamil Nadu; 2 arrested

Chennai: The sexual assault and brutal murder of a 10-year-old girl, who was playing outside her house in Coimbatore’s Sulur, allegedly by her neighbour, led to massive outrage across Tamil Nadu on Saturday with the opposition asking tough questions to the fortnight-old TVK government.

As the incident hit headlines with relatives of the minor girl holding a protest, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay termed the murder and sexual assault as "horrific" and promised to ensure justice for the minor girl. Vijay also said two persons have been arrested for their involvement in the crime.

R V Ramya Bharathi, Inspector General of Police (West Zone), told reporters in Coimbatore that police received information on May 21 at 8.30 pm that the minor girl playing outside her house in Sulur was missing since 5 pm.

“A case was registered at 10 pm and five special teams were formed to locate the missing child. During the course of investigation, we got to know that 33-year-old Karthi, a neighbour, was also missing along with the child. He was known to the victim’s family,” she said.

Karthi, originally from Nagapattinam district in the Cauvery Delta region, has been residing in Sulur for the past few years.

“We received information that the accused was hiding on the first floor of an apartment in Coimbatore. On spotting a police team, the accused attempted to escape by jumping from the first floor, resulting in fractures in his right hand and right leg,” she added.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to sexually assaulting the minor and subsequently murdering her inside a coconut grove, the IG said, adding that another neighbour Mohan, 30, was also arrested for helping Karthi.

“As the case pertains to the assault of a minor child, it is being altered to include the provisions of the POCSO Act and stringent action is being taken,” Ramya Bharathi said.

Chief Minister Vijay said his government will firmly act to ensure that those who commit such heinous acts against women and children receive severe punishment under the law.

Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami asked tough questions of the TVK government, asking what had happened to the “tall talk” of maintaining law and order during the election campaign.

"This heinous incident has sent shockwaves across the country. The voice demanding true justice for this murder is echoing from all quarters", Udhayanidhi said, alleging that in just 12 days, over 30 major incidents, including sexual violence and ganja smuggling, have been reported.

Palaniswami said the government should ensure the safety of women and children, and demanded that the perpetrators be given the strictest punishment under the law.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said it has taken cognizance of the abduction and murder of the girl, and has sought a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Tamil Nadu DGP within seven days.