Coimbatore (PTI): A college student was sexually assaulted by three men near the Coimbatore international airport, police said on Monday.

The unidentified miscreants attacked and chased away the male friend of the 19-year-old student and allegedly sexually assaulted her on November 2 night, police said.

The incident near the high security area sent shock waves across the city. Police said seven special teams have been formed to trace out and nab the culprits.

Both the student and her friend have been admitted to hospital.

Expressing shock over the incident, BJP leader K Annamalai claimed that since the DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu, incidents such as these have shown that anti-social elements no longer fear the law or the police.

"From DMK ministers to police officials, there has been a disturbing pattern of shielding sexual offenders instead of ensuring justice. The DMK government has utterly failed in both preventing sexual crimes and providing safety for women," he alleged in a post on the social media platform 'X'.

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.



Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."

The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.

The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.

The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.

ALSO READ: Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours

Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.

In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".

They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."

Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.

The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.