The Tamil Nadu unit of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has strongly condemned the wave of misogynistic and abusive attacks on social media against Sangeetha Sornalingam, wife of actor-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay.
In a statement released Monday (March 2), the rights body accused supporters of the party of unleashing “patriarchal” and “digital violence” against Sangeetha following her filing of a divorce petition recently, and criticised Vijay for allegedly maintaining silence, which it felt was a tacit approval of the harassment.
Also read: Can Vijay and TVK weather the storm of Sangeetha’s divorce petition?
Sangeetha filed the petition before the Chengalpattu Family Court in December last year, seeking dissolution of their 27-year marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The petition alleges adultery, mental cruelty, emotional neglect, desertion, and betrayal.
Key claims include Vijay’s alleged extramarital relationship with a female actor, which Sangeetha reportedly discovered in 2021; repeated social media posts by the alleged partner causing public humiliation to Sangeetha and their children, withdrawal from conjugal life, and financial restrictions.
The court has summoned the actor-politician to appear before it on April 20.
The development, which surfaced in February, has created ripples in Tamil Nadu’s film and political circles, particularly ahead of the state’s Assembly elections.
Also read: Who is Sangeetha, now at the centre of Tamil Nadu’s most talked-about divorce?
Vijay, a major star fondly called “Thalapathy”, launched the TVK in early 2024 as a youth-focused party aiming to challenge Tamil Nadu’s established political players, such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, ahead of the elections.
The current personal issue has intersected with his public image, especially as he positions himself as a champion of social justice and women’s dignity in political rallies.
In the aftermath, sections of Vijay’s fanbase and TVK supporters reportedly flooded social media with vulgar, derogatory and sexually explicit comments targeting Sangeetha. These attacks frame her decision to seek divorce as betrayal or opportunism, often reducing her to an object of ridicule rather than recognising it as a private legal matter. The AIDWA, however, didn’t take the matter lightly.
‘Not freedom of expression’
In a statement signed by the body’s Tamil Nadu President G Pramila, and General Secretary A Radhika, it described the online campaign as “not freedom of expression but digital violence against women”.
“Divorce is a fundamental human right and a private matter between individuals and the court no one has the license to demean, mock, or sexually objectify a woman for approaching justice,” the statement read.
Also read: Is Congress using Vijay’s TVK to bargain harder with DMK?
“Such behaviour reflects deep-seated patriarchal attitudes that treat women’s personal lives as public property.”
It also took a dig at Vijay, saying as a public figure who made a foray into politics, it is his duty to uphold ethical standards, and if he remained tight-lipped while his wife faces abuses, it only suggested an “indirect endorsement” and is condemnable.
The AIDWA urged the TVK chief to publicly and clearly condemn the attacks and initiate party-level action against the culprits.
AIDWA asks cyber-crime wing to act
The AIDWA also asked the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing to curb the spread of obscene content, stressing that women’s dignity, equality, and freedom must not be sacrificed for political loyalty or fan sentiment.
Also read: Trisha slams BJP leader Nainar Nagendran’s remark linking her to Vijay
While neither Vijay nor the TVK have issued an official response to the divorce or the AIDWA statement as of Monday evening, the issue has left the social media split.
Some users defended the fans’ reactions as expressing “emotional support” for their leader, while others, including women’s rights advocates, backed AIDWA’s stance.
Comments are closed.