The horrific sex abuse case in Pollachi has rocked Tamil Nadu, with hundreds of students, lawyers and women’s rights activists coming out on streets in different parts of the state to demand action against the accused. In February, four men allegedly disrobed a 19-year-old woman in a moving car in Pollachi and recorded a video of the assault. They allegedly threatened to make the video public if she did not pay them money.
In the wake of the scandal, a Facebook post by Narmatha Moorthy went viral where she mentions the advice her mother gave her. Moorthy writes that she had been expecting a call from her mother, cautioning her against going out with her male friends. Instead, what her mother told her left her overwhelmed:
“I know you are staying away from family and I always believe that I brought up the strongest girl! No matter what dad and I are gonna be there for you! If anyone blackmails you with your picture or video just tell them to do whatever they want coz it’s just mere flesh that every other girl in the world posses and this will never bring any shame to us!
I am ready to face anything that comes on your way!
Be strong and be safe!”
This made Moorthy wanting to hug her mother and cry. She talks about the effect her mother’s words had on her in the post:
During the investigation of the sex abuse case, the phones collected from the four accused revealed a massive racket run by the four-to-eight men. The phones contained videos of at least three other women who the men may have used to blackmail the women. According to TNM, there are anywhere between 50 and 200 victims of the racket, however, there is no confirmation of any such number so far.
According to the Tamil Nadu police’s statement, there may be nearly 60 sexual abuse survivors. However, the police did not apply for the custody of the arrested men and illegally named the survivor who filed the complaint.
Here’s how people on social media reacted to Narmatha Moorthy’s post:
