Opposition parties criticize CM Vijay for spate of crimes in Tamil Nadu

Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami and other opposition leaders criticized Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for the spate of crimes in Tamil Nadu in the last 15 days.

In a post on social media, Mr. Udhayanidhi demanded that Mr. Vijay explain the steps taken to prevent crimes against women and children. “Is it Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh? Where is your Singapen Athiradi Padai (Women’s Protection Task Force)? Why is the Chief Minister who had laudable dialogues before the elections refusing to open his mouth?” he asked.

He said the state has witnessed 25 murders, four cases of double murder and 19 cases of sexual assault in the last 15 days.

“Under the rule of those who talked about change, Tamil Nadu’s law and order situation has deteriorated. After the murder of a girl in Sulur, a girl has now been sexually assaulted in Villupuram district. The body of a Sulur girl was cremated without her mother’s knowledge. A boy was murdered near a temple in Madurai and a woman was doused in petrol on a suspected petrol bomb in Co.

A. Gubendran, 17, was stabbed to death in the early hours of Monday at the Madurai Corporation’s shopping complex in the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple parking lot. The murder was said to have led to a scuffle with M. Muthumani (28) over the purchase of bananas at his shop on Dhalavai Street on April 26. Vilakkuthoon police arrested five suspects: Muthumani; his brother Rajkumar, 26; Satheesh Kumar, 28; Harikrishnan, 18; and Muthukumar, 19.

In Coimbatore district, four motorcycle-borne men hurled Molotov cocktails at a girl’s house near Thondamuthur on Sunday. Thondamuthur Inspector T. Shanmugavel said one of the persons involved in the attack hails from Chennai and is a serial offender. A few years ago, he allegedly had a relationship with the house owner’s daughter. The accused was also charged under Madurai’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act for eloping with a girl below 18 years of age. He and three of his friends carried out the attack, allegedly after the girl distanced herself from him. Police were trying to arrest them, the inspector added.

Three men were arrested on Sunday after a 25-year-old woman filed a sexual assault complaint at the Thoothukudi All Women police station. Police said the accused — A. Mohith, 25; J. Ritheesh, 19; and J. Thiloth Berlin, 21 — hailed from Fathima Nagar in Thoothukudi. Mohith, whom the woman knew, drove her to the crime scene near the fishing port late on Saturday. There, she and her two friends allegedly sexually assaulted her. The woman told the police that ₹2,500, a mobile phone and two silver rings were also taken from her.

She filed a complaint on Sunday. The case was registered under Sections 296(b), 126(2), 87, 115(2), 70(1), 309(4) and 351(3) of the BNS. Four special teams were formed and all the three accused were arrested on the same day. The woman was referred to Thoothukudi Government Medical College and Hospital.

Mr. Udhayanidhi also mentioned an incident in Perambur, the constituency represented by the Chief Minister, where a gang of alleged drug peddlers allegedly vandalized cars. “We cannot accept eyewash statements issued after police encounters when people are living in fear,” he said.

Compliance with law and order: EPS

Expressing shock over the incidents, Mr. Palaniswami appealed to Mr. Vijay to maintain law and order. Among the incidents, he referred to the sexual harassment of a girl in Madurai allegedly involving a ruling TVK official, the alleged harassment of a college student by a TVK official in Chennai and the alleged harassment of an electrical engineer by a TVK official in Tiruvottiyur.

The AIADMK leader also referred to reports of the death of a couple who tried to travel through a metro rail flooded by heavy rain at Omalur in Salem district. He pointed out that the non-operation of the metro led to the loss of two lives.

“The Chief Minister claimed to bring better governance and bring change. But every other day we are losing precious lives. This government is just disappointing,” Mr. Palaniswami said. “Besides, ruling party functionaries are threatening people, especially government employees,” he alleged. He also criticized the prime minister for not addressing the media through a press conference.

“Vijay and the Silent Spectator”

AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran criticized the government for sexually assaulting minors. Recalling Mr. Vijay’s statement when a student was sexually assaulted at Anna University during the DMK government, Mr. Dhinakaran asked, “Why does Mr. Vijay remain indifferent and act as a mute spectator to insults against women after becoming the Chief Minister?”

BJP State President Nainar Nagenthran also criticized the TVK government. “Only the government has changed, but the problems continue,” he said.

He also criticized Mr Vijay for “inciting” children to pressure their parents to vote for him and for assuring them that he was their “uncle” but remained a mere “spectator” while the children were sexually assaulted.

The BJP leader questioned whether Mr Vijay has the competence to rule Tamil Nadu if he remains a “puppet chief minister” and is indifferent to the affairs of his government.

“How many more lives must be lost?”

In another post, Mr. Nagenthran referred to the murder of a boy in Madurai and called for strict punishment of the culprits. Criticizing TVK, he asked how many more lives have to be lost before Mr. Vijay learns the basics of governance.

“Shouldn’t Mr. Vijay focus on the law and order situation after assuming office, especially when he heavily criticized the DMK government on the same issue before the elections? If he made the accused persons ministers, how could he ensure the safety of the people,” asked Mr. Nagenthran.

Published – 25 May 2026 15:12 IST