Slapped student assaults girl at cultural fest, held

The accused, S Devendran of Aziz Nagar in Tondiarpet, was booked under IPC Sections 294(b) (obscene language), 323 (hurting), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506(1) (criminal intimidation) and 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. The incident happened on Friday afternoon on the WCC campus where an inter-college cultural event, ‘Festeve’, was held. Police said that Devendran, a final-year Mechanical Engineering student of Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Maduravoyal, approached the girl, a final-year BBA student of SRM University, to inquire if they had already met on Facebook. After an argument broke, Devendran allegedly verbally abused the girl. Irked by his behaviour, she reportedly slapped him following which Devendran kicked the girl in her abdomen and fled the spot. Even though a patrol vehicle was stationed on the campus, the incident happened within a few minutes, said police.

Based on her complaint, Nungambakkam police registered a case and launched a hunt for Devendran whose mobile phone was switched off. He was secured from his friend’s place on Saturday morning and was remanded in judicial custody. The girl suffered minor injuries in the attack.