Published Jun 25, 2026 | 8:15 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 25, 2026 | 8:56 PM
Minister for Higher Education P Viswanathan said his intention has been misunderstood. (File photo)
Synopsis: Complaint alleges inappropriate physical contact with minor girls during an anti-drug awareness event in Madurai; minister says he was only assisting students who had fainted in extreme heat.
Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Higher Education P Viswanathan, on Thursday, 25 June, expressed regret for his act during a marathon event in Madurai, which he claimed led to a misunderstanding over his intention.
The minister said he had merely extended humanitarian assistance to girls participating in the marathon, which was misrepresented by a section of the media as “wrong intentions”.
Viswanathan made the statement a day after a Chennai-based lawyer complained to the state police chief and demanded a case under the POCSO Act be registered against the minister.
Viswanathan is one of the two Congress ministers in C Joseph Vijay-led Cabinet in Tamil Nadu.
Responding to the controversy, Viswanathan said his actions have been wrongly portrayed.
He said several students participating in the anti-drug and women’s safety awareness marathon in Madurai fainted after running nearly four kilometres in extreme heat, and he merely provided first aid to them.
“I extended only humanitarian help,” he said in the statement.
The minister said the visuals of him helping the students were “portrayed by sections of the media with wrong intentions” and added that, “as a father to a daughter, I extended humanitarian help. It is painful that such assistance is being wrongly interpreted.”
He further said attempts to attribute ulterior motives to his actions were shocking. He expressed regret over his approach being misunderstood, which caused a controversy.
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A DMK member, Advocate Saranya Natarajan, sought legal action under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against the minister for what she alleged as “deliberate and repeated” inappropriate physical contact.
Natarajan lodged the complaint with the Director General of Police (DGP) and state child protection authorities.
The complaint alleged that Minister Viswanathan engaged in “deliberate, repeated and inappropriate physical contact” with girls participating in the anti-drug awareness marathon at Melur on 21 June.
The event saw the participation of several school students, including minor girls, the complaint said. The videos circulated widely across television channels and social media platforms, allegedly showing the minister touching the thighs, shoulders, legs and other body parts of girls while interacting with them during the programme, the advocate said.
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The petition argued that the alleged acts were neither accidental nor incidental, but deliberate in nature, and therefore attract provisions under Sections 11, 12 and 23 of the POCSO Act.
The complaint further stated that news channels and social media platforms widely circulated the visuals without concealing the identities of minor girls, potentially amounting to a separate violation under child protection laws.
Natarajan argued that the alleged conduct by a public official has “seriously eroded public trust” and could create fear among parents regarding the safety of children participating in public events.
The complaint sought immediate registration of an FIR, preservation of electronic evidence, removal of videos currently in circulation, and referral of the case to a designated POCSO Special Court for expeditious trial.
