Chennai: Former chief minister M K Stalin said there was no attempt to protect anyone in the Pocso case involving granite baron Veeramani during the DMK regime.In a statement, he said neither Veeramani, nor anyone who helped or attempted to protect him should be allowed to escape from law. “But there are attempts to exploit this case for narrow political purposes by spreading false allegations against DMK. I urge those in the ruling party to stop the despicable practice of using the suffering of the minor girls as a tool for the bypoll,’’ Stalin said. The statement comes in the wake of allegations that there was an attempt to cover up the case during the DMK regime in 2025 to protect Veeramani.He said no instruction was issued by the DMK govt to protect anyone in the case. Stalin said that his wish, ‘as a leader of a political movement, a head of a family and a human being with a conscience’, was that the outcome of the case should deter anyone who thinks of committing such crimes in future. “Everyone must be brought before the law and given the maximum punishment. This is the stand of DMK,’’ he said.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami also broke his silence on the case and demanded a detailed probe and strict punishment for the accused.“The details of the case are shocking. Police department should handle these kind of cases with utmost sensitivity, without yielding to any pressure,’’ he said.“Whoever committed these crimes against women and children, no matter how powerful or influential they are, should not be given any place in this society,’’ he said.EPS demanded the govt to take legal action against everyone involved in the case and those who helped conceal the case.
