Political drama over TN rape

A change in mindset has been advocated, but when patriarchy is so deep-seated in India, changing mentalities will only take place at a snail's pace

The political drama surrounding the horrific rape of a 19-year-old second-year student in Chennai's prestigious Anna University by a vendor has taken a bizarre turn, with Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai flogging himself with a whip and vowing not to wear footwear until the DMK government is ousted.

His dramatics were obviously aimed at the central leadership of the BJP, which was extremely disappointed with the outcome of the 2024 parliamentary poll in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK also latched onto the opportunity to lash out at the ruling DMK. The National Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of the incident and is sending a fact-finding team.