CHENNAI: Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday announced that the party would stage a protest on February 8 in Krishnagiri, condemning the sexual assault of a girl student at a government school on a school campus in Bargur.

Party functionaries from the Krishnagiri district unit would stage the protest to voice their condemnation of the assault committed by the teachers against the student. The protest would also expose the failure of the DMK government in ensuring the safety of women and children in the State, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said in a social media post on Thursday.

Palaniswami, on Wednesday, issued a strongly worded statement criticising the present administration for its failure to maintain law and order, which he said has contributed to a rise in crimes against women and children. He also demanded Chief Minister M K Stalin to admit his inefficiency in safeguarding women and to apologise to the people of the State.