The Central Crime Branch made a new arrest in the case on Tuesday after a former employee was found to be withholding key evidence. Granite baron R Veeramani was arrested on August 29 in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) case along with two associates. Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and singer Chinmayi Sripaada reacted to the details of the case.
If wealth, 70 crores in this case, influence or political and personal connections are used to bury the truth to silence a victim or obstruct justice, it angers me more and that is equally unacceptable. Writing that numerous people have written that their ‘hands are shaking’ as they write to her, she added, “The damage that has happened in the past 1.5 decades of perpetuating rape culture, Women defending it as well will take ages to undo. In a long note posted on social media, Khushbu wrote about how justice must be nonnegotiable when it comes to children. “A child’s pain cannot be bought. Her voice cannot be silenced. Justice cannot be negotiated. A child is meant to be protected, not violated, silenced or made to carry the scars of someone else’s depravity. She also wrote that the case has made her angry, questioning how everyone involved has gone scot-free all these years. “My anger is absolute, unequivocal and uncompromising. It must be exposed and investigated. #RVeeramani case raises deeply disturbing questions. How did he go scott free for all these years? What a shame,” wrote Khushbu. She ended her note by calling for strict punishment without delay, “If guilt is established, there must be no escape. The law must come down with its full force and punish the perpetrator and those involved in the crime, without delay. #justiceforchildren #fightagainstsexualabuse. Chinmayi wrote on her social media that since the case, she has received numerous DMs from child abuse survivors. “The Gem Granites Veeramani case has reminded a lot of women (and some men) about when they got sexually assaulted as kids. My DMs are full again. How I wish I had some magical power. How I wish. Yet – I can do nothing except say I am so sorry. It is not your fault. Nothing else. Safeguard your kids. Believe them. The molester is in your own house many a time. Deal with it.”
And the powerful must never be allowed to believe they are untouchable,” she wrote, adding, “There is nothing more monstrous, more cowardly or more unforgivable than the sexual abuse of a child.
They were remanded in judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai. Complaints can also be filed online through the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) via the POCSO e-Box. On August 19, a Special POCSO Court rejected the report and ordered a reinvestigation. After the survivor in the case was traced, Veeramani and two of his associates were arrested on August 29. On September 22, a former employee was arrested for possessing video evidence and failing to report the matter to law enforcement. Note: If you need to report a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Mumbai, you can call the 24×7 toll-free Child Helpline at 1098. For additional support within Maharashtra, you can contact the Women Helpline by dialling 181 or reach out to the state’s Women and Child Development Department.
Police sources said alleged financial transactions involving certain police officials, political personalities and representatives of media houses connected to the granite baron were under scrutiny, according to PTI.
An FIR was registered last year after the police received video footage of the alleged abuse, but they filed a closure report earlier this year, citing a lack of evidence.
