Speaking on social media, Annamalai said every police officer, politician and influential individual who helped shield Veeramani over the years must be brought to justice, and he called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to "uncover the entire network" that allowed the alleged crimes to continue.
The call comes amid an ongoing investigation under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against R. Veeramani, the owner of Gem Granites, who is accused of sexually exploiting numerous children; a former employee of the company has already been arrested in connection with the case.
Annamalai alleged that a "huge sum of money" was exchanged to protect Veeramani, and he criticised the Tamil Nadu Police Department, once lauded as the country's best, as having become "corrupt and incompetent" and merely serving politicians' interests in recent years.
He also emphasized the need to safeguard the identities of all victims and warned the police not to repeat past mistakes that may have allowed the alleged abuse to persist unchecked.
If a SIT is constituted, it could broaden the scope of the inquiry to include possible collusion by officials and could trigger further legal action against those implicated, intensifying public scrutiny of law‑enforcement and political circles in Tamil Nadu.