Published Oct 11, 2026 | 9:54 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 11, 2026 | 9:54 AM
Police personnel surround protesters during the AISF-AIYF demonstration in Chennai on October 10, demanding the resignation of ECI CEO
Synopsis: A 28-year-old woman has accused a Tamil Nadu police officer of sexual assault during anti-SIR protests in Chennai on 10 October, and alleged that a police inspector dismissed her complaint. A Class 12 student sustained a head injury after police personnel allegedly threw a barricade at protesters marching towards the State Secretariat.
A 28-year-old woman has accused a Tamil Nadu police officer of sexual assault during the anti-SIR protests in Chennai on Saturday, 10 October. Separately, a Class 12 student sustained a head injury after police personnel allegedly threw barricades at demonstrators marching towards the State Secretariat.
The protest, organised jointly by the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
As part of nationwide protests called by several organisations the same day, Left organisations and independent groups held demonstrations at several locations in Tamil Nadu.
In Chennai, more than 50 people gathered in Besant Nagar and were detained by the police. The detentions drew criticism of the ruling TVK government, which has declared the BJP its ideological opponent.
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The survivor alleged that a male police officer grabbed and squeezed her breasts while she was marching towards the Secretariat. She also accused a police inspector of dismissing her complaint when she raised the matter at a community hall in Triplicane, where the protesters were subsequently detained.
Speaking to South First, the survivor said she was marching alongside another protester when the officer approached them.
“We were proceeding towards the Secretariat. Some of our comrades were in front of us, while others were behind us. Another woman comrade and I were walking together in the middle, somewhat separated from the others,” she said.
“A male police officer with three star on his batch came towards us to stop us. My fellow woman comrade managed to get past him without getting caught. The officer then approached me, extending both his hands directly towards my breasts, and grabbed and squeezed them.”
When she raised the allegation with a police inspector at the community hall, the inspector reportedly dismissed her complaint, saying, “Our officers would never do anything like that,” before leaving without addressing the allegation.
The survivor told South First that she intended to file a formal complaint against the officer at the Chennai Police Commissioner’s Office.
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Kavin, a Class 12 student who participated in the march, sustained a head injury after police personnel allegedly threw a barricade at protesters.
He said police personnel had placed barricades to prevent the protesters from proceeding towards the Secretariat.
“When we tried to push the barricades forward, the police threw them at us. That was when I sustained an injury to my head,” he said.
More than 50 students and young people took part in the march, which began around 10 am from Sivananda Salai. The protesters intended to lay siege to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu.
Police stopped the march near the MLA hostel. When the protesters attempted to push past the police and continue towards the Secretariat, more than 50 police personnel allegedly tried to force them into police vehicles.
Protesters who participated in the two demonstrations in Chennai accused the police of mishandling the protests and using excessive force against participants.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
