Five days after women were chased, harassed, and shamed by a few Tamil media houses, Chennai police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against News Tamil 24*7 crime beat reporter Sudharsan and five others who had created a ruckus outside Big Bull Lounge, a Chennai pub, on Monday, November 20. The police have also invoked the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act (TNPWH) against the accused persons.
“While taking the videographs, a few unknown persons uttered abusive, denigrating and obscene remarks against the women coming out of the bar, which were aired later on various channels,” read the press release issued by the Chennai police. The case has been registered under various sections of the IPC including 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294(b) (obscenity), 354A (making sexually coloured remarks), 509 (insult the modesty of a woman), and section 4 of the TNPWH Act.
Read: Women in Chennai pub chased, shamed, and moral policed by news channels
On Tuesday, two complaints were filed in this regard. One complaint was from a woman who was chased, verbally abused, and filmed without her consent outside Big Bull Lounge and the other was filed by a couple who visited the pub. They alleged that the inebriated men who created the ruckus tried to grope the woman as they exited the pub.
Read: How women became the target in a case of vengeance against a Chennai pub
It later transpired that the incident, which occurred on the night of the cricket World Cup final, happened as a result of a scuffle between a group of inebriated men and the pub staff. The men were denied entry into the pub as they had arrived near the closing time. Enraged at this, they started a fight with the staff members. When the pub management called the police, the men called a friend in the media. The coverage by media outlets, including Thanthi TV and Polimer News, apart from News Tamil 24*7, was aired the next morning. The incident was misreported as a police raid and the channels predominantly focused on the women’s attire and presence at the pub, shaming them for both.
TNM was the first to access the CCTV footage from the pub in which the scuffle can be seen. As pointed out in our earlier report, the footage showed one man attempting to enter the bar and being stopped by bouncers. Seconds later, he is joined by at least six other men, all trying to push their way in. A pub staff member who tries to intervene is surrounded by this group of men. The police have identified one of the men in the group as Sudharsan, who is a crime reporter at News Tamil 24*7 channel.