Pollachi sexual abuse case: Sisters want guns for self-defence

COIMBATORE: A 14-year-old Nallampalayam resident and her 20-year-old sister on Saturday submitted a petition to the collector, requesting him to grant them licences to buy guns for self-defence. They fear for their safety after coming to know about the Pollachi sexual assault case, S Oviya, a Class IX student at the Vidya Vikashini Matriculation Higher Secondary School and S Tamileenam, a BCom final year student at the KGISL College of Arts and Science, said in the petition.
“It has been 15 days since the case came into public attention. But police have arrested only four people, whom the complainant had identified. There might be involvement of more people, but police took no action to arrest them. We have lost hope in the police department,” Tamileenam said. “We want to know what action the police took to investigate the case. What did the government do to encourage other victims to register complaints?”

“The state government and the police, who are supposed to safeguard the identity of the victims, broke their trust by revealing their identity. Now, other victims would not come forward to register complaints. The incidents have not just created a sense of fear, but also broke the trust we had in the government. So, we need pistols to safeguard ourselves,” Tamileenam added.

The girls said they would buy pistols, undergo proper training and carry the firearms with them all the time for their safety.