Chennai, Sep 24 More skeletons tumbled out on Thursday in the case of appalling abuse of children over several years allegedly by granite baron R Veeramani and more allegations and counter-allegations surfaced leading to rapid related developments.
Hours after Tamil Nadu Congress Committee SC Department president M P Ranjan Kumar alleged police inaction despite his complaint in November 2024 itself, the government eased two top IPS officers–one of them the then city police chief, out of their posts and placed them on “compulsory wait.”
IPS officers A Arun and N Kannan served as Commissioner and Additional Commissioner, respectively, in Chennai city during the DMK regime, when a complaint was reportedly lodged nearly two years ago alleging sexual abuse of minor girls by Veeramani
For about two years, Kumar said he did not disclose anything about his complaint because the police requested it, as they feared disclosure might obstruct evidence gathering.
In what appeared to be a tangled web of allegations, Ranjan quoted Veeramani’s alleged accomplice Shanti as having claimed that her advocate was intimidated by Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam President John Pandian over a “payment issue.”
However, Pandian rejected the allegation as false and baseless and alleged that it was Ranjan and Shanti who had approached him to “extort Rs 20 crore from Veeramani,” which he refused.
“It was Ranjan who brought Shanti to get money from Veeramani which I rejected and I refused to entertain and that was all about it,” Pandian maintained.
Ranjan Kumar said the DMK regime did not act on the issue in 2024 and thanked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and the TVK regime for swift action.
“Whenever, police call me I am ready to cooperate,” the Congress leader said.
On Pandian’s extortion allegation, Kumar said police would have, by now, become well-versed with the facts of the case as the accused, Veeramani, Shanti and her husband Mahendra Simhan who are now in prison would have given statements.
Further, he said he was now speaking out in view of false claims by some YouTubers against him.
“If there is any mistake on my part, like what he (Pandian) alleges, I am ready to accept punishment,” Kumar said.
DMK President MK Stalin demanded justice for victims and maximum punishment for the perpetrators of the crime.
The former CM said: “In this case, some are spreading slander against the DMK with narrow political motives to exploit it for their benefit and this is very disgusting. During the DMK regime, no orders were issued to protect anyone in the Veeramani case.”
Meanwhile, claims were also doing the rounds in the social media about “financial transactions” to hush up the crime and the alleged involvement of a woman Assistant Police Commissioner.
Kumar maintained that it was he who submitted the video evidence to police on the abuse and wondered how the police could claim that they received a anonymous complaint from an activist and video clip in a USB drive only in October 2025.
“Why FIR was not lodged based on my complaint and when I had submitted a plaint in 2024 itself; why they say they received a complaint in October 2025,” he asked.
From May 2021 to May 2026, the DMK was in power in Tamil Nadu.
Ranjan, speaking to reporters here, claimed he met the then Additional Police Commissioner N Kannan on November 22, 2024 and lodged a complaint seeking action against Veeramani for sexual abuse of children and his associate Shanti for abetment of crimes. The plaint was submitted with evidence.
On the basis of his complaint, Anti-Vice Squad Inspector Mahesh posed questions and he answered them and such questioning continued.
When police questioned “what personal interest you have in the matter,” he replied that it was to protect the interests of the oppressed Dalits recalling the help he extended to Dalit victims of violence. “Only after that they stopped asking that question.”
Subsequently, when police sought the video clip for evidence, he submitted it in December 2024.
“I was told that the video was being sent to authorities to ascertain its authenticity and that it may take time. I was also asked if I knew the victims and I answered that I was not aware,” he said adding there was no subsequent progress. He was informed that further action was difficult in the absence of victims.
Ranjan maintained that he got acquainted with Shanti in June 2024 for a real estate transaction which however did not materialise.
Further, he claimed: “This is how we got introduced. Subsequently, there was no contact. Then in the month of September in 2024, Shanti asked me if I knew Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam President John Pandian.”
Shanti, without mentioning anything about Veeramani, claimed that when she sent a legal notice to a person seeking pending payment, her advocate was allegedly intimidated by Pandian and the TMMK chief also had spoken “badly about her.”
Ranjan said he responded saying, “I am not running a money collection agency and she also said that I am not requesting you to get money; but I am requesting a cordial meeting with Pandian to remove his misunderstanding about me.”
Subsequently, the meeting took place at a hotel in Chennai in which Pandian asked Shanti about her receving a payment already from Veeramani and “demand for more” and the conversation became heated and personal too involving her son’s treatment in America.
“I was surprised and shocked and only then I came to know about Veeramani and the meeting ended,” Ranjan said. Though both of them were aware about the background, he was not apprised about it beforehand.
Subsequently, Shanti claimed that Pandian was creating a “wrong opinion” and requested him to meet her to clear misconception. During that subsequent meeting, Shanti left him in a room and before exiting the spot, she asked him to watch a video clip and turned on a television.
The video that unfolded showed an old man abusing a girl after “giving her a gift” and Ranjan claimed that based on his intuition, he recorded it on his mobile phone.
The Congress leader said he shouted out at Shanti over the abuse and left the place and consulted advocates on the matter. Subsequently, he said he lodged a complaint on his letterhead with Additional Commissioner Kannan on November 22, 2024.
“I attached screenshots and demanded action against Shanti and Veeramani and urged that they be arrested and Kannan said he will consult the Commissioner and revert,” he said.
(PTI News)
