Ponraj booked for making derogatory remarks on TVK women cadres

CUDDALORE: Cuddalore New Town police have registered a criminal case against Ponraj Vellaichamy, the head of the Abdul Kalam Vision India Movement, following a formal complaint regarding his highly offensive and derogatory remarks on women functionaries and cadres of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).

Police booked him under sections 79 and 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (TNPHW) Act and Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Police action came after a complaint from TVK Cuddalore district secretary B Rajkumar.

Rajkumar, in his complaint, said Ponraj Vellaichamy, in an interview with a YouTube channel, deliberately made obscene and highly defamatory allegations, characterising the women functionaries and cadres of the TVK party as sex workers. "The accused made these statements with malicious intent, which not only defamed the specific individuals concerned but deeply insulted and degraded the modesty of all women residing across Tamil Nadu. The remarks were uploaded to YouTube to publicly shame and humiliate the women cadres of TVK," he said.

Police have started reviewing the digital evidence and looking into the interview footage uploaded on the channel for further legal action.