Man tries to sexually assault pregnant woman, pushes her from moving train in TN
Vellore (PTI): A 31-year-old man was arrested allegedly for attempting to sexually assault a four-month pregnant woman in a moving train and pushing her out of the compartment near Katpadi in the district, police said on Friday.
The 36-year-old victim, a native of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, was travelling alone in the women’s compartment on Thursday night when the man, said to be a history-sheeter, boarded the train at Jolarpet railway station, and attempted to sexually assault her, police said.
Resisting his attempt, she ran towards the restroom in a bid to lock herself but he pursued and pushed her out of the train, a police official said. She sustained fractures on her hand and leg.
Passers-by who noticed her fall from the train admitted her to the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore.
Police said Hemraj, from K V Kuppam, who was arrested based on CCTV footage, was recently let out on bail in connection with the murder of a woman in Chennai. He was booked under the Goondas Act in 2022, the police official added.
The woman has been living with her husband, a tailor, and son in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupur for several years. She had decided to go to her mother's home in Chitoor as she was pregnant and accordingly boarded the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity express alone on Thursday night.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
