Mayiladuthurai collector removed after remark on child assault survivor
THANJAVUR: Hours after making a controversial remark blaming a 3-year-old survivor in a sexual assault case, Mayiladuthurai Collector A P Mahabharathi was shunted out of his post on Friday. The child, allegedly raped and attacked brutally with a stone by a juvenile on Monday, is currently under treatment at a government hospital for critical injuries.
Erode City Corporation Commissioner HS Srikanth has been appointed as the new collector of Mayiladuthurai district. Mahabharathi has not been given any new posting.
Speaking at the ‘capacity building training programme’ for police officers on Pocso Act and child protection and care organised by the district child protection unit (DCPU) at a hotel in Mayiladuthurai on Friday, Mahabharathi referred to the case and said, “According to the reports I received, the child herself acted wrongly.
She spat on the face of the boy that morning. That may be the reason (behind the assault). Hence we are forced to consider (the actions by) both sides. Prevention is better than cure,” Mahabharathi said at the training programme, a video of which soon went viral online. He went on to add that parents need to be sensitised to the issue as officials cannot directly teach children aged two to three years. The parents could, in turn, teach their children, he said.
According to police, in the gruesome attack on Monday, the boy allegedly lured the girl from the village anganwadi to an isolated spot behind the childcare centre and sexually assaulted her. When she cried, he smashed her face with a stone. Grievously injured, the child is undergoing treatment at JIPMER in Karaikal.
The collector’s comments evoked strong criticism on social media. Mahabharathi could not be reached for comments.