In a disturbing video shared on social media, an Army Jawan has made serious allegations that his wife was subjected to a severe assault by a large group of men in Tamil Nadu, resulting in her being partially stripped. The video was released on Twitter by retired Army officer Lt Col N Thiagarajan and featured Army jawan Havildar Prabhakaran, who is currently stationed in Kashmir but hails from the village of Padavedu in Tamil Nadu.
However, according to a statement from the police, it has been claimed that Prabhakaran exaggerated the incident. The soldier’s wife herself stated that she was attacked by around 40 individuals who kicked her in the chest and stomach, which contradicts the jawan’s initial account.
In the video, Prabhakaran asserted that his wife’s shop was being vandalized in the Thiruvannamalai district when she was brutally assaulted by 120 men who stripped her naked. He also mentioned filing a complaint with the Superintendent of Police (SP), who assured him of taking appropriate action. “My wife was physically assaulted by 120 men and the shop’s items were thrown out. I have sent a petition to SP and he has assured action. DGP sir, please help. They have attacked and threatened my family with knives. My wife was stripped half-naked and brutally beaten,” Prabhakaran can be heard saying in the video, which was recorded in Tamil.
To summarize, an Army Jawan alleged a horrific incident involving his wife being attacked and partially stripped by a large group of men in Tamil Nadu. However, the police have stated that the soldier may have exaggerated the incident, and his wife claimed that the number of attackers was around 40, not 120.
The Indian Army-Northern Command released a statement in response to the video, saying, “An Indian Army soldier in uniform gave a statement fearing for the safety of his family. Army has already contacted the #Police authorities who have assured all help post investigation. One of the accused has already been arrested. Action is at hand to arrest others. The #IndianArmy accords high priority to well-being of families who stay away from the soldiers deployed in field areas. In the instant case, local military authorities have reached out to the families and are also in constant touch with the civil #administration including civil police to ensure safety of the soldier’s family. Police have assured safety of the family.”
K Annamalai, the leader of Tamil Nadu’s BJP, stated that he had personally spoken with the Havildar and assured both him and his wife of their support while they were receiving medical treatment at a hospital. Expressing his dismay, the state chief of BJP added, “I feel ashamed that this had happened to her on our Tamil soil!”
“Had a telephonic conversation with the Havildar, who is bravely serving our country in Kashmir and his wife, based out of Tiruvannamalai. Truly gutted to hear her story & I felt ashamed that this had happened to her on our Tamil soil! Our party people are rushing to attend to her now, who is admitted to a hospital in Vellore. @BJP4TamilNadu will stand with her & our Havildar’s family in getting justice for her,” Annamalai tweeted.
“More than 40 people attacked me. They verbally abused me, using obscene language. They also touched me inappropriately. They are not letting our family live in peace. They are threatening me,” the jawan’s wife said in Vellore.
According to Thiruvannamalai’s Superintendent of Police, Karthikeyan, a FIR was filed based on a complaint made by the jawan under the appropriate statutes.
“Based on a complaint by the jawan, an FIR (First Information Report) was filed under relevant sections. Two of the accused — Ramu and Hariprasad — have already been arrested,” the SP said.
Anyhow, the police believes that Prabhakaran exaggerated the incident in comparison to what actually happened. The police is going with their own version of the story.
Keerthi, who spoke to India Today, stated that the police had included their own biased version of the incident in the complaint copy. According to her, the police’s account differed from the truth. She claimed that her brother Jeeva had merely tried to protect her and that she was now unaware of what had happened to her father and brother. Keerthi further explained that she experienced difficulty breathing and urinating after being kicked in the chest and underbelly. She also had scratch marks on her arms.
In addition to seeking justice, she named Paalkara Selvaraj, his son Hariharan, Jayagopi, RV Shekhar, Karthi, Mani, Aatukara Shankar, and Pichandi as the attackers.
