3-year-old may have provoked sexual assault, says collector, shunted out | Chennai News – The Times of India
TRICHY: The district collector of Tamil Nadu‘s Mayiladuthurai caused outrage Friday by allegedly suggesting that a three-year-old survivor of an attempted sexual assault may have “provoked” the actions of the suspect, a 16-year-old boy. The remark led the state to transfer A P Mahabharathi and appoint Erode corporation commissioner H S Srikanth as the new collector.
The teenager accused of assaulting the girl was arrested Tuesday and charged under Pocso Act. The survivor suffered head and facial injuries after the alleged assailant approached her with sexual intent and hit her with a brick when she tried to escape. In a video that has gone viral, the collector is heard saying at a district-level awareness meeting on Pocso Act that “both sides” of such a case should be considered before drawing conclusions. “According to the information I received, the child spat on the boy’s face that morning, which may have triggered his reaction. It is important to look at both sides,” he said.
Mahabharathi told TOI on Friday that his remark had been misconstrued. “I didn’t mean it in the wrong way. It was with good intention,” he said.
