Chinmayi Sripaada, a singer, expressed strong criticism after seeing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Congress’s P Chidambaram, and actor Kamal Haasan in a picture with Vairamuthu, a Tamil lyricist accused by her of sexual harassment.
She felt upset that while she faced bans and lost opportunities in her career, her alleged harasser was being supported by powerful figures in Tamil Nadu. Sripaada accused Vairamuthu of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement in 2018, which encouraged many women in India to share their stories of harassment at work.She hoped that the system promoting sex offenders and silencing truth-tellers would start to crumble. Despite feeling helpless, she pledged to keep praying until justice prevailed.
“May the entire ecosystem that promotes and supports sex offenders whilst incarcerating honest people who speak up start getting destroyed from this very moment, onwards and beyond. I ll pray and keep praying until my wish comes true – there is nothing else I can do anyway (sic),”Sripaada wrote.
On Monday, Stalin posted a video of the event where he and Chidambaram unveiled Vairamuthu’s book, and Kamal Hassan appeared happy in the background. Stalin wrote, “First day of the new year! For more than two and a half hours, it was filled with loving souls!”
In 2019, a year after Sripaada accused Vairamuthu of sexual harassment, she criticized the media for staying quiet about the matter. In June of the same year, the respected singer mentioned that she held multiple individuals accountable for protecting Vairamuthu.
“I’m holding so many people responsible for saving Vairamuthu. There are a few people in DMK who tried to help me, but in the end, their hands are also tied,” she said.
Sripaada had also reached out to Stalin, questioning the government’s silence on the matter. Seventeen women have accused Vairamuthu of harassment so far.
