Chennai, 25 May

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday directed the police to promptly register cases against those involved in sexual crimes, expeditiously investigate and ensure stringent punishment to the culprits.

Reviewing the law and order situation along with senior officials, especially in the wake of the sexual assault and the brutal murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore, Vijay directed that those involved in heinous crimes should be dealt with strictly and the suspects awarded severe punishment.

The meeting also comes amidst Opposition criticism of the law and order situation under the TVK government. Various political parties, including main opposition DMK have been lashing out at the TVK dispensation over a spate of murders and sexual crimes.

At the review meeting, the CM directed the Advocate General to speed up the trial, ensure precautionary measures and awareness in cases pertaining to crimes against women and children.

"Sexual assault cases should be tried expeditiously and the culprits given severe punishment by conducting the case properly so as to serve as deterrent to others," Vijay directed the officials, a state government release said.

On Sunday, the Chief Minister spoke to the family of the girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed in Coimbatore over the phone and assured them that justice would be ensured. The sexual assault and brutal murder of the child in Coimbatore's Sulur has led to shock and outrage across Tamil Nadu, and chief minister Vijay on Saturday promised strict action following opposition uproar.

Two men, including an acquaintance of the girl, have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The meeting, held at state Secretariat, was attended by Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Home Secretary K Manivasan, Advocate General Vijay Narayan, Secretary, Social Welfare and Women's Rights Department Mariam Pallavi Baldev, Director General of Police Sandeep Roy Rathore, and other senior officials.

Earlier in the day, the murder of a 17-year-old boy in the car parking area of the famous Sri Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai allegedly by a five-member group, triggered a political outrage with many parties questioning the handling of the law and order condition in TN.

Leader of the Opposition DMK in the Assembly Udhayanidhi Stalin claimed 25 murders, 4 double murders, and 19 sexual assault offences have been reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 15 days. "These incidents stand as evidence of how the law and order has changed under the rule of those who came to power promising to usher in transformation," Udhayanidhi sarcastically said on 'X'.

He claimed that even before the shock of the "atrocious" crime against a minor girl in Sulur could subside, another sexual assault has been reported against a minor girl in Villupuram, a teenaged boy was murdered in Madurai, and a petrol bomb was hurled at a woman's house in Coimbatore. "Respected Chief Minister Sir, is this Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh? Where has your Singapen Special Task Force for women safety gone?" Udhayanidhi asked in a post on 'X'.

The Chief Minister's meeting with the police officials was an "eyewash," he claimed and added that issuing routine statements could not be accepted. The government must realise the seriousness of the situation. The chief minister must explain the proactive steps he would take to prevent crimes against women and children, the DMK youth wing secretary said.

Opposition AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed shock over the murder and said on 'X' that the Chief Minister had said that he would provide good governance and bring about change. "But we are losing precious lives every day. There is disappointment in this dummy-horse rule. Reports indicate that the ruling party members were involved in the Madurai murder incident," he alleged.

Like the previous DMK government, the CM has not responded to various incidents that took place in Tamil Nadu since this government took office, Palaniswami claimed and remarked that if Vijay was concerned about the people of the state who voted him to power, then he would immediately take steps to improve law and order situation.

Posting a video clip on 'X', former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai said "what you see in this video is the blood stains of a young boy who was brutally murdered by a gang of five near the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai."

"Drug peddlers, sexual assaulters, and murderers have a free pass in Tamil Nadu. The state police seem to have learnt no lessons from the past, and the new TVK govt is yet to emerge from its celebratory mode and confront the grim realities unfolding on the ground," Annamalai said in the post.

Meanhile, the Vilakkuthoon police in Madurai, arrested five suspects within hours of the crime. Two among those arrested were juveniles, police said.

Further investigation is on.