T.N. Deputy Speaker faces row over alleged assault of Thuraiyur resident for complaining about civic issue

Tamil Nadu Assembly Deputy Speaker and Thuraiyur (SC) TVK MLA M. Ravishankar. File. Photo credit: tnla.neva.gov.in Tamil Nadu Assembly Deputy Speaker and Thuraiyur (SC) TVK MLA M. Ravishankar landed in a controversy on Monday (November 9, 2026) after a video surfaced in which a local resident alleged he was assaulted by the former for raising a civic issue. Police, however, said they had not received any complaint regarding the incident that allegedly took place on Sunday (November 8, 2026) night when the resident, Karthick Kumar, approached the MLA to complain about drinking water shortage and other civic issues in his locality in Tiruchi district.A clip of a video showing the alleged assault went viral on social media platforms. The video, shot in the dark, shows a man assaulting another but does not show their faces clearly. The man, who says repeatedly that he had voted for ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay [Chief Minister and TVK leader], is seen being assaulted repeatedly by the other person and questioned about the name of his village.Mr. Karthick Kumar, the Thuraiyur resident, on Monday (November 9, 2026) claimed to be the one being assaulted, and alleged he was assaulted by Mr. Ravishankar.Mr. Kumar, who took treatment at the Manachanallur Government Hospital, in a separate video clip, alleged that the Deputy Speaker had assaulted and insulted him when he went to raise civic issues, as no action was taken on his complaints to the Municipality and MLA’s office.Later, Mr. Kumar posted another video clip, in which he is seen with Mr. Ravishankar, denying the assault and claiming there was just a commotion in the crowd. “The incident has been wrongly portrayed on social media,” he said, urging people not to believe rumours.However, he came out with another video clip reiterating that he was assaulted by Mr. Ravishankar but was “threatened and forced” to issue the earlier video statement denying the assault. He also claimed he was picked up by a police officer from Manachanallur and taken to the police station in the town, where he was threatened with arrest for assaulting three persons.“I was later taken to Mr. Ravishankar’s residence and forced to retract my earlier statement. As they threatened to kill me and my family, I had to issue the statement to save myself,” claimed Mr. Kumar, who was admitted to the Mahatama Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi on Monday (November 9, 2026) evening.Mr. Kumar told reporters he was “wrongly portrayed” in social media and was being charged with taking money.The Deputy Speaker did not issue any statement on the allegations, and attempts to contact him over phone for comments were futile. Published - November 09, 2026 08:08 pm IST