TIRUPUR/TIRUCHY: How safe are our cities, towns and streets for women? If an incident of a stalker setting ablaze a 30-year-old married woman in Tirupur is anything to go by, the answer is not much. Little did 30-year-old Sangeetha know that attending a marriage function in the town would end up with her battling for life. Her crime: she spurned the advances of a stalker who too was present at the venue. She is undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital presently.
The incident took place on Thursday when Sangeetha, a resident of Vellakovil in Tirupur district, was set on fire by one Mathiyalagan (30) after she refused to speak to him. Sources said that they met for the first time at the venue of a marriage ceremony recently. They struck a conversation and shared numbers. However, over time, Sangeetha realised something amiss in Mathiyalagan’s behaviour and stopped attending his calls.
Angered by Sangeetha’s refusal to speak, Mathiyalagan somehow managed to coax her to meet in person on Thursday. During the talks, Mathiyalagan, in a fit of rage, attacked her with an iron rod. Later, he allegedly poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze. Sangeetha sustained severe burns and was admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. The Vellakovil police registered a case.
51-year-old gets five-year term for sexual harassment of minor girl
Mahila Court found a 51-year-old man guilty of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl and sentenced him to five-years’ imprisonment with a `1,000 fine under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 here on Friday.
According to court sources, the girl is a resident of Tiruchy locality and a Class V student. The guilty has been identified as Roshan (51) of the same locality. Roshan provided tuitions to children in the area. On the day of the incident, the accused lured the girl to his home to watch cartoons and sexually abused the girl there.
Another six years if fails to pay fine
On the final hearing of the Roshan case on Friday, the accused was proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced. If he fails to pay the
R1,000 fine, the offender must serve another six months’ imprisonment under the POCSO Act