Two journalists have been arrested by Thirumangalam Police in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on charges of cheating and sexually harassing an English professor in one of the private colleges in Chennai. Jo Stalin, working as freelance journalist, and AR Raja, a journalist with Vikatan Tamil publication, have been arrested.

Jo Stalin is the son of powerful Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader R Jothiraj. Stalin met the victim through Facebook in January 2017. The duo decided to meet each other after some months in 2018. They met in a coffee shop. But she did not like the way Stalin behaved with her and stopped speaking to him.

She had met Raja too through Facebook in April 2017. Soon, they started liking each other and started meeting each other. She believed him and shared all her personal details with him. He proposed to her in May 2018.

The victim's complaint states that Raja was married and revealed to her about this only after getting close to her. He had said that it was not marriage, but a business proposal.

She then started maintaining her distance from him. However, Raja allegedly barged into her house and tried to force himself on her.

Meanwhile, she had seen Raja's picture with Stalin on his phone. When she questioned, she came to know that both were friends for many years. After Stalin came to know about Raja and this victim's intimate relationship, he too reportedly started expecting the same from her.

Even after complaining about Stalin's behaviour to Raja, Stalin kept sending her vulgar messages on WhatsApp and started threatening her of revealing her intimate relationship in her college and with her relatives.

She had even filed a complaint against Stalin with Vikatan, but no action was taken against him.

Jo Stalin reportedly enjoys great rapport with leaders like MK Stalin and Kanimozhi of the DMK. Corporate attorney SG Suryah has questioned why the Dravidian leaders haven't condemned this act of a communist leader, while BJP leader H Raja's action has invited many comments and statements.

 

 

DMK, ironically, is a party that stems from social reformer Periyar's ideology. The man, who fought for women's rights and untouchables, was remembered on his birth anniversary on September 17. Communist party members like Saravanan, Annadurai too paid their tribute to Periyar.

It is the 140th birth anniversary of Periyar. All that this victim can be happy about is that Stalin and Raja have been booked under sections 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354D (stalking) , 506(1) (criminal Intimidation) and section 4 of the TN Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act of 2002 (penalty for harassment of woman) of the India Penal Code (IPC).