CHENNAI: A video showing a group of women screaming in fear inside their car as they are chased and threatened by a group of youths in two cars, one flying a DMK flag, on East Coast Road (ECR) has gone viral on social media.
The Kanathur police have booked cases against the youths for mischief, criminal intimidation and wrongful restraint, and are searching for them.
A 32-year-old woman said in her complaint that the incident took place near the Muttukadu bridge on Jan 25, when she was travelling with friends and family in her car around midnight.
She said initially they were unaware that a group of eight youths in two cars were following them. They realised that something was wrong only after hearing loud noises.
When they attempted to drive away, the men blocked their path by parking in the middle of the road.
The woman said a man ran towards them, knocked on the car window and asked them to step out, saying her car had hit their vehicle and fled without stopping. The man driving the woman's car reversed and sped away, but the youths continued to chase them, following them till their home.
Following the footage going viral, police launched an investigation.
The woman denied dashing against the youths' vehicle. Police are gathering CCTV footage to piece together the sequence of events. Tambaram city police said special teams are locating the suspects.
Oppn parties condemn DMK
Opposition parties including AIADMK, BJP, PMK and AMMK on Wednesday condemned DMK for the ECR incident where men in a car flying a DMK flag threatened a family.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami questioned on X whether having a DMK flag in a car is a licence to commit crime against women.
He said that attempts to attack women on a prominent road such as ECR show the deteriorating law and order situation under the DMK govt. BJP state president K Annamalai said women are unsafe in Tamil Nadu and people are angry with DMK.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said when the affected family approached police to file a complaint against those who tried to attack them, police, instead of filing a case, acted in favour of the gang.
Immediate action should be taken against them, Anbumani said. AMMK president T T V Dhinakaran demanded the DMK govt increase patrol on ECR and take stringent action against those involved