KP Prem Ananth contested from Chennai's RK Nagar seat on a BJP ticket in 2006.
Highlights
- KP Prem Ananth had contested from RK Nagar in 2006
- Girl was travelling with her family on Trivandrum Express
- Lawyer allegedly molested her when she was sleeping on the berth
A Chennai-based lawyer has been arrested for allegedly molesting a nine-year-old girl on a train on Saturday. The child was travelling with her family from Kerala's Thiruvanthapuram to Chennai and was fast asleep on her middle berth on the Trivandrum Express when she was molested allegedly by the lawyer.
The lawyer, identified as KP Prem Ananth, had contested from Chennai's RK Nagar seat on a BJP ticket in 2006. RK Nagar was the high-profile seat represented by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The lawyer allegedly molested her somewhere between Salem and Erode stations on Saturday night, according to police. The nine-year-old's family caught him after the girl screamed and handed him over to the railway police.
"The child says the perpetrator had touched her breasts," a police officer said. "The lawyer was also drunk. We are investigating," the police officer told NDTV.
The alleged incident took place on the same day the centre cleared an ordinance, or emergency executive order to introduce death penalty for those found guilty of child sexual abuse, longer jail term for all rapists and set an ambitious four-month deadline to complete investigation and trial in all rape cases.
In February this year, a 23-year-old actress in Kerala stood up to a man who she says tried to molest her on a train and held on to the accused till help finally arrived.
Sanusha Santosh, who has acted in South Indian movies, said she was shocked to have opened her eyes and found a man rubbing his hand against her lips. Ms Santosh had boarded the train at Kannur; had an upper berth and was sleeping.