Two days before the bypolls: Vijay turns a child-abuse probe into campaign ammunition

CHENNAI: With two days to go for the October 6 bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, Chief Minister and TVK leader Vijay has turned one of the state's most sensitive criminal investigations — a POCSO case involving alleged abuse of minor girls by granite baron R. Veeramani — into the centrepiece of his campaign rhetoric. Speaking at a TVK campaign rally in Madurantakam ahead of the bypoll, Vijay accused the previous DMK government of burying a complaint against Veeramani and demanded that DMK president M.K. Stalin 'open his mouth' on the case. He alleged a 'deal' between the DMK and the AIADMK to keep the matter quiet, and declared that under his government there would be 'zero compromise' on the safety of women and children. 'You all have been asking about the Veeramani POCSO case. How long can the truth be hidden? They tried to cover up a heinous crime — an injustice against minor girls — using money and power,' Vijay said, adding that not only the accused but also 'all those who helped cover it up' must face severe punishment. The DMK has rejected the charge outright. Stalin said there was no directive from his government to protect anyone, called the allegations false and defamatory, and accused the Chief Minister of politicising a sensitive case for electoral gain. Courts have previously cautioned that the Veeramani matter must not be used for electoral advantage while the probe remains active. The timing is hard to ignore. The Madurantakam bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of former AIADMK MLA Maragatham Kumaravel, who joined the TVK and was renominated by the party — a switch the AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami has called 'horse-trading'. With polling on Tuesday and counting on October 9, the bypolls are the first electoral test of the TVK government that took office after the April 2026 Assembly elections. Vijay framed the contest in stark terms: 'There are only two contenders in this contest — the pure force, TVK, versus the evil force, DMK.' It is a striking choice of language for a Chief Minister who also asked to be seen 'not as a Chief Minister, but as one among you — as your brother.' There is a deeper question the campaign stage cannot answer. The victims in the Veeramani case are minor girls. An all-women SIT was formed to investigate after Veeramani's arrest, and a Chennai POCSO court rejected an aide's bail plea citing the pending investigation. Turning an active probe involving children into rally ammunition — however righteous the stated intent — risks exactly the contamination of justice that courts have warned about. The position of this paper is simple: every person who harmed a child must face the full force of the law, regardless of wealth or political cover. But justice for those girls will come from courtrooms and chargesheets, not from a microphone two days before polling day.