Tamil Nadu minister's driver and friends sexually abused girls, claims BJP leader Selva Kumar

A BJP politician from Tamil Nadu alleged that a state minister's driver and his friends sexually harassed a student and blackmailed her using a video of the incident. He accused the state police of covering up the crime and Chief Minister MK Stalin of “trying hard to divert public attention from the incident”.

In a tweet on Monday, Selva Kumar, vice president of the BJP's industrial wing in Tamil Nadu, said the accused driver worked for school education minister Anbil Mahesh.

He claimed that the defendants “sexually abused a student, made a video of the act, used the video to blackmail the girl and forced themselves on her on several occasions.”

“The victim went to the office of the police commissioner and complained about it. Since the minister's driver is involved in this, no action has been taken so far. Perhaps the police commissioner is busy covering up these crimes,” the BJP leader added.

Meanwhile, India Today television channel learned that a 17-year-old girl had filed a complaint with the district police chief because she was the victim of a gang rape on September 3.

In her complaint, she said that the accused driver Silambarasan first befriended her and then forced her to go to different places with his friends, during which the sexual assault occurred.

Speaking to the media, the girl said that the accused and his five friends also blackmailed her using a video of the incident and threatened that they would post the footage on social media if she did not comply with their demands.

“He (Silambarasan) took me to his home, his farm and other places. Twenty days ago, he bought me a tablet and said he would pay me money and complete it then and there. He said he was Minister Mahesh's driver. They were blackmailing me. I was scared and did not tell my parents,” she added.

The girl's mother confirmed the gang rape and said her daughter became pregnant and Silambarasan bought her the tablet.

“He's threatening us.”

However, when India Today TV spoke to the girl, she said that she was not a victim of gang rape but that Silambarasan sexually assaulted her, which contradicts what she said in her complaint to the police and the media.

“I want action against him. There is no one else,” she said, adding that Silambarasan had worked as a driver for a DMK member and not for the minister.