Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A three-year-old girl succumbed to injuries on Monday, June 15, after she was sexually assaulted by a migrant worker at Gummidipoondi near Tiruvallur district the previous day.
According to media reports, the girl’s parents, who hail from Bihar, work at a steel company in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate. The accused, Bibin Manji (19), also a migrant worker from Bihar, worked at the same company as the victim’s father and lived in their neighbourhood.
The incident took place on the night of Sunday, June 14, when the parents were at home and the girl was playing with other children on a street in Pudupettai near Gummidipoondi.
Reports suggest that Bibin, who was known to the family, allegedly took the child to a nearby shop under the pretext of buying chocolates for her, sexually assaulted her at a secluded location, and dumped her in the bushes.
However, a passerby witnessed the attack and raised an alarm. Residents gathered at the spot and caught the accused before he could flee. SIPCOT police arrived at the scene after being informed and arrested him.
The injured child was first taken to the government hospital in Kottakarai for treatment. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was later shifted to Stanley Government Hospital in Chennai, where she succumbed to her injuries on the morning of June 15.
Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant murder provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and arrested Bibin.
He was later produced before the Tiruvallur POCSO court under police security and remanded to judicial custody on June 15.
While allowing a petition seeking interim compensation for the victim’s family, the special court for the exclusive trial of POCSO cases directed the Social Defence Director to pay Rs 8 lakh as compensation.
The court also said that the interim compensation would be adjusted against any final compensation awarded later in the case.
Further investigation is underway to determine whether more accused were involved in the case.
Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said such incidents were once associated with northern parts of India.
“But they have become the order of the day in Tamil Nadu,” he said in a social media post.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami condemned the incident and asked what the newly launched Singappen Special Task Force was doing to prevent such crimes. He also accused the government of focusing on publicity rather than governance.
Director and producer Pa Ranjith said on X that the growing number of child sexual abuse cases in Tamil Nadu is deeply worrying. He cited national data showing that such crimes rose by 8.7% in 2022. He urged the state government to introduce systemic changes, such as opening child-friendly inquiry centres, setting up more special courts, deploying more trained women police officers, and introducing consent education in schools.
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.