The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that the accused arrested for the sexual assault of a 19-year-old Anna University student in Chennai is a “repeat offender and a DMK functionary”, an accusation which DMK leaders have denied.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that the suspect apprehended for the sexual assault on a 19-year-old student from Anna University in Chennai is a "repeat offender and a DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) functionary".

K Annamalai, the president of the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whipped himself in Coimbatore as a form of protest to demand justice for a 19-year-old student who was allegedly sexually assaulted at Anna University.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai lashed himself six times with a whip on Friday morning outside his residence in Coimbatore. The act was part of a personal protest against the sexual assault of an Anna University student.

The BJP leader alleged that the accused committed the crime emboldened by his affiliation to the ruling party. The DMK, however, has said that the accused in the varsity student sexual assault case was not even a primary member of the DMK.