CHENNAI: PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday strongly condemned the assault on a 64-year-old petitioner at a “Ungaludan Stalin” grievance camp in Sathur village in Tamil Nadu's Ranipet district, calling it “inhuman and unforgivable”.
In a statement, Anbumani alleged that Village Administrative Officers and police personnel brutally attacked the petitioner, Venkatapathy, after he questioned officials about the lack of action on a petition he had submitted weeks earlier at a similar camp in Muthupettai village.
According to eyewitness accounts and a viral video on social media, Venkatapathy had merely asked why no action was taken on his petition and requested an acknowledgement slip when he was manhandled by officials.
The PMK leader said the assault escalated when a police sub-inspector allegedly punched the elderly man in the chest.
“It is the duty of officials to respond when citizens ask why their petitions have not been acted upon. Instead, to beat and humiliate a senior citizen is a serious crime. The officials responsible must be punished, ” Anbumani said.
He also used the incident to criticise the ruling DMK government’s flagship grievance redressal drive.
“From day one, I had pointed out that the Stalin camp is nothing but a gimmick to cheat the people. So far, 3.5 million petitions have been submitted, yet more than 90 per cent remain unaddressed. Over two million applications related to women’s rights have been filed, but even after 50 days, not a single person has been granted their rights. This is clear proof of the project’s abject failure, ” he said.
Anbumani added that instead of serving as a platform to inspire confidence among the people, the Stalin camp had become a mechanism to suppress dissent.