Three booked for assaulting woman over parking dispute in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Three people including a functionary of a political outfit were booked on Thursday for assaulting a woman in full public view, over a parking dispute earlier in the day.

The accused have been identified as Sengaliappan, the woman's neighbour, Sundarrajan, a functionary of a political outfit, and his friend Rajesh.

Police identified the woman who was assaulted as Ramya, 43, of Shastri Nagar at Urumandampalayam in GN Mills in the city. She runs her own business and resides in a rental house.

The street she was residing on had become narrow as the corporation has undertaken stormwater drainage work. On Thursday around 3.30pm, her neighbour Sanjay, a college student, couldn't get his car into the street as a goods auto rickshaw was parked there. Ramya asked the goods rickshaw driver to move and was helping Sanjay navigate his car into the street. When she asked him to move the car over a closed storm water drain outside Sengaliappan's house, he started to verbally abuse the woman.

Sengaliappan was soon joined by Sundarrajan, and Rajesh, who threatened the woman. When Ramya started to record them on her mobile phone, they snatched her phone and physically assaulted her in full public view. Meanwhile, another person in the locality recorded a video of the assault, which went viral on social media.

Ramya lodged a complaint with Thudiyalur police, who registered a case against the three under section 75 of the Bhratiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (TNPHW) Act. Police have formed two special teams to nab the three accused who are absconding.