COIMBATORE: A witness in the Pollachi sexual assault case, T Dhamodaran, has given credit to the steely resolve and determination of the then 19-year-old college student, who filed the complaint in February 2019, that helped police crack the case and get the perpetrators punished.
Speaking to TNIE, Dhamodaran, a friend of the survivor’s brother, recollected that the girl did not reveal the assault to anyone for two days due to mental trauma. He said initially he could not understand the enormity of the incident.
“Later when the girl did reveal it to her brother, a childhood friend of mine, we along with some of our friends encountered Sabarirajan and took him to a place to know more about the incident. Through him, we managed to bring Thirunavukkarasu and Vasantha Kumar to the place. Their mobile phone had many obscene videos of women,” he said.
In the meantime, Dhamodharan said a group of seven friends of Thirunavukkarasu, who were on a search for him, beat up four of Dhamodharan’s friends. “When Pollachi police reached the spot, we handed over the trio and their phones to them,” he said.
“At first, the police thought it was a clash between two groups. The enormity of the incident came to light only after the investigation. We 10 friends were very firm on our stand, and that gave the girl hope. She was very determined to file a complaint and get the perpetrators punished,” he said.
I Gowam, another witness and a friend of the victim, said, “We were called as witnesses. It took almost 6 hours for giving the witness statement. The incident, in a way, helped strengthen the friendship among the 10 of us. Now, after the verdict, I am feeling very happy.”
Speaking to TNIE through her brother, the victim who is now 24 years old said, “Nobody should go through such a situation. That is why I came out to file a complaint and testify before the court. The verdict is consoling.”
