CHENNAI: The
attack on
a
26-year-old woman
at
Chetpet Railway Station
on Friday could have been averted had the two policemen who saw the woman and her assailant arguing frisked the man, a Railway Protection Force officer said. “Had they searched the man, they would have discovered the weapon with him.”
One of the law enforcers merely ‘pacified’ them and left. Minutes later, the assailant, Surendar, took out the machete he had been hiding on his person, attacked
Thenmozhi
and jumped in front of a train going from Tambaram to Chennai Beach. He, however, misjudged its speed, smashed against a compartment and fell back on to the platform. While Surendar continues to be critical, his victim is receiving treatment at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital.
Director general of police (railways) C Sylendra Babu told reporters on Saturday, “One government railway police [GRP] constable and RPF constable Manoj Kumar were on patrol duty at the station when the incident took place.”
“I was on patrol when I heard screams. I rushed to the place and questioned the man who was arguing with a woman who was crying. As I did’t know Tamil, I asked them to leave the place and walked away when I heard an EMU approaching,” an RPF officer quoted Manoj as saying. The GRP man was also with him.
He had gone a few metres, when he again heard screams. “Manoj ran towards them. The woman was in a pool of blood and Surendar injured,” the RPF officer said.
Thenmozhi’s father Veeramani said, “I demand the government take serious steps against the man (Surendar) for attacking her.” After her parents objected to Surendar’s request to marry her, Thenmozhi passed the group-IV exam of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and joined the state cooperative society department three months ago.
Surendar, whose father Vijayaragavan, 65, is a retired railway employee, met Thenmozhi when they travelled in the same bus to their colleges in Erode.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.A Selvaraj, who has been working as a crime reporter in Tamil Nad...
Read MoreA Selvaraj, who has been working as a crime reporter in Tamil Nadu since 1994, has several sensational scoops to his credit. In 1998, he exposed a cheating racket led by Divya Mathaji and her followers in Tiruchi. He broke several stories which caught nation’s attention, including the suicide of 2G scam accused Sadiq Batcha.
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