A senior Tamil Nadu police officer is now the latest to face heavy backlash for allegedly being insensitive at a press conference about the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore.
In a now-viral clip, Inspector General of Police (West Zone), R.V. Ramya Bharathi, was seen laughing and casually interacting with her colleagues while seated at the press conference venue.
The laughing, which took place on Monday just before the presser began, quickly sparked anger online, with many users questioning how the senior officers could laugh just before a discussion on the heinous crime.
The case in question was the rape and murder of a Class 4 student, whose dead body was found on May 23—two days after she went missing—near Sulur in the Kannampalayam lake area in Coimbatore.
Two people were arrested in connection with the tragedy—one of the first major crimes on the TVK government's radar. The case has also triggered statewide protests and political attacks by the Opposition against the C. Joseph Vijay government.
Notably, this comes just hours after Tamil Nadu Industries Minister S. Keerthana came under fire for similar reasons: she was caught smiling at around the time the murder was being discussed with the press.
She clarified that she had smiled at the end of the interaction—not while it was going on—and that what she had smiled about was neither connected to the crime nor the reporters’ questions.
However, the clarification could not save her from widespread backlash online over what the BJP called "extreme insensitivity".
The saffron party was also irked at her refusal to answer questions from the media, as she said she would only answer "administrative questions".
While CM Vijay has assured swift action and a fast-track investigation into the case, senior police officials are yet to issue an official response regarding the viral video involving IG Bharathi.