On 13th February 2013, Adilakshmi a student from the Dr.Ambedkar Law College in Chennai had visited Saravana Selvarathinam Stores located in Usman Road, T.Nagar, Chennai. She had visited the 3rd floor of the shop for purchasing few fancy items and walked down after making payment for the items she had purchased. A security lady who checked her bill during the exit inspected the bill and during the inspection Adilakshmi had noticed that her bill was printed with the date specifying as 10th February 2013. Immediately Adilakshmi has enquired the security lady about the wrong date printed on the bill.
Security, worried about Adilakshmi’s vigilant enquiry immediately called up the store manager and a group of persons and took her to a room and harassed her with an enquiry that her vigilant activity as a law college student would not work at that shop. The store staffs suspecting that Adilakshmi would blow this wrong billing issue as a complaint, planned to frame her with “Shoplifting” charges.
As decided by the staffs, Adilakshmi was threatened by them with dire consequences. She was harassed by both male and female staffs by putting their hands into her coat pockets and snatched all the money she had and even her Law College Identity Card. She was also forced to put her thumb impression and her signature in plain paper. She complains that her cell phone was seized by the store staffs and was not allowed to make any calls and later her cell phone was alone given while she was let-out from the shop.
Adilakshmi once she came out of the shop contacted her seniors in her college and her senior advocate Mr.Solomon, where she undergoes training as a Research Apprentice. Mr. Solomon took this issue very serious and discussed with his advocate colleagues and had filed a complaint with the Commissioner of the Police at Chennai Mr. George. Since action as expected by the complainant was not taken by the police department, Adilakshmi accompanied by advocates and Law College students held a protest demonstration on 14th February 2013 by blocking the traffic on NSC Bose road in front of the High Court of Madras.
As the police officials who walked into the protest demonstration assured that action would be taken against the culprits, the protestors cleared themselves away from blocking the traffic. On an exclusive interview to us, Adilakshmi explained that in regard to the complaint made by her, only two persons from the store have been arrested and no action has been taken against the other culprits who had harassed her. Adilakshmi’s senior Solomon talking to us said that police action is only favorable for the Saravana Selvarathinam Stores and was not acting true as per the complaint of Adilakshmi. He also added that the store staffs have drafted a letter of their own on the plain paper where the store staffs had forcefully taken signature and thumb impression of Adilakshmi.
Solomon also added that Mr.Tamilselvan, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mambalam Range had purposely tried to tear the letter drafted by the store staffs on the plain paper in which Adilakshmi was forced to put her signature and thumb impression. Solomon accuses Mr.Tamilselvan for trying to tear the letter without handing it over to the court. He also says that since they doubt sincerity in the action by the local police, they plan to request the court for a CBI enquiry in this issue.