A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing a Class 12 girl to death in broad daylight while she was on her way to school on Wednesday, police said. The girl had reportedly rejected the man’s love proposal.
Political parties have slammed the ruling DMK government over the attack. AIADMK demanded maximum punishment for the accused, while PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss accused the government of protecting “antisocial elements.”
The victim, 21, lived with her family in Cherankottai near the island town. Police said the accused, Muniyaraj, also from the same area, had been stalking the schoolgirl for days, pressuring her to accept his proposal despite repeated refusals.
Her father, Mariyappan, a fisherman, had recently confronted Muniyaraj over the harassment and warned him to stay away from his daughter.
Angered by continued rejection and the family warning, Muniyaraj allegedly attacked her on a public road Wednesday morning. Police said he stabbed her multiple times, leaving her grievously injured.
The girl collapsed and died before medical help could arrive. Passersby alerted police, who recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem. A murder case has been registered.
The accused fled but was later tracked down by a special police team and taken into custody. Appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been invoked.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed outrage.
“Who is responsible for a situation where even a girl student going to school in the morning is not safe? Where did the accused get the audacity to murder a school girl in broad daylight,” he asked.
“Such heinous crimes are the result of the complete erosion of law and order on women's safety under the Stalin-model DMK regime,” Palaniswami added, urging that the suspect receive the maximum punishment.
PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss said his party had repeatedly urged the government to provide police protection at bus stops and schools.
“The DMK did not heed the demand of the PMK and this has led to the brutal murder of an innocent student in Rameswaram. DMK government should take responsibility for this,” he said, demanding the death penalty for the accused and a Rs 25 lakh solatium for the victim’s family.
BJP Tamil Nadu unit president Nainar Nagenthran slammed the DMK regime, saying crimes against women have not declined.
“For the past 4.5 years, the BJP has been spearheading numerous protests and demonstrations to strengthen women's safety. Every day we have to come across media reports of women being subjected to harassments in public places. Despite police personnel being deployed in large numbers, we still have to protect our own children at home. Our National Democratic Alliance will deliver swift and decisive justice to end this reign of terror by the DMK,” he said, offering condolences to the family.
