A woman functionary of actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has accused the party's Tiruvallur South district secretary R Prakasam of sexual harassment.
Prakasam is also the TVK’s candidate from Chennai’s Poonamallee constituency.
The woman alleged that Prakasam inappropriately touched her at a wedding around six months ago and later threatened her when she confronted him.
"You are a lady, and if you do anything to damage my name, we will do anything,” Prakasam allegedly warned the woman after the incident.
The woman further said that she has evidence from the wedding to support her claims.
She and her husband later filed a complaint with the Tiruvallur District Superintendent of Police, following which a case was registered against Prakasam under multiple sections.
Police are currently verifying the allegations made by the party functionary.
The woman also claimed that the party leadership did not take any action against him. The TVK has not issued an official response yet.
Meanwhile, Prakasam, along with his wife and some party functionaries, has denied the allegations, calling them motivated and linked to internal party issues.
Rejecting the claims as false and alleging a conspiracy by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Prakasam told news agency ANI, “I come from a poor family and belong to a marginalised community. Because of my hard work, TVK leader Vijay appointed me as the district secretary of the party. Now, I have been announced as the candidate for the Poondhamalli constituency.”
“Unable to tolerate this, a woman has filed a false complaint against me. She has done this at the instigation of members of the DMK. The police have registered a case against me without any basis. I will definitely win in Poonamallee and enter the Assembly,” he added.