Pollachi traders plan rally, bandh on March 19

Traders in Pollachi are planning a protest shutdown on Tuesday and a rally to demand a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the serial sexual abuse-cum-blackmail case.

Speaking to IANS, a trader said the shutdown and rally would see participation of different political parties and social organisations as well.

After days of protests by students, political parties and various social organisations, it was relatively calm in Pollachi on Saturday. However, protests were held in some parts of the state.

Four persons -- Thirunavukkarasu, Sathish, Sabarirajan and Vasanthakumar -- all in their 20s, have been accused of sexually assaulting women in Pollachi and filming the act to blackmail them for money or for physical submission for over seven years.

The students and other social organisations are holding protests for the past several days, demanding stringent punishment for the culprits.

In Madurai, the members of a women's organisation protested by tying their eyes with a strip of black cloth, while in Karur members of the CPI-M held protests.

The Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) has taken one of the prime accused -- Thirunavukkarasu -- to an undisclosed location for interrogation. The CBCID got custody of Thirunavukkarasu on Friday. 

It has written to social media organisations, requesting removal of videos pertaining to the Pollachi abuse case.

On Friday, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court told the central government to remove all videos related to the Pollachi serial sexual assaults from the internet.

In Chennai, a lawyer filed a public interest litigation in the high court for a court-monitored CBI probe. The petition is expected to come up for hearing next week.-IANS