Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday ordered a CB-CID inquiry into the sexual assault of a Dalit woman by eight men including two DMK members in Virudhunagar district. 


Making the announcement in Tamil Nadu Assembly, CM Stalin condemned the sexual assault of the 22-year-old woman and said, "Unlike Pollachi sexual assault case, the accused in the crime will be punished soon."


Later, he transferred the case to CB-CID for a probe. 


On Monday, eight persons including two DMK members and four minors were arrested by Tamil Nadu police in Virudhunagar for sexual assault of a 22-year-old Dalit woman. The men were also accused of video graphing and threatening the woman with the footage for over a year. 


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It all started after one of the DMK members Hariharan befriended the survivor and forced her to have sex with them. Then he recorded the video of the act and sent it across to his friends. Using the video, he and his friends threatened her and sought sexual favours multiple times until a complaint was filed by the survivor on Monday.


Following the complaint, the four men were remanded to judicial custody while the four minors were sent to correctional center.


Meanwhile, former Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami responding to the incident on Wednesday said, "I am saddened to hear the news that 8 people including DMK functionaries sexually abused a young woman in Virudhunagar and ruined her life. The DMK should stop using the arrest as an eyewash and instead take stringent action against the culprits."


"Crime against women has increased during the present government. Is this the protection you give to women?" he asked.