‘Forced To Retract Statement’: Man Alleges Assault By TVK MLA Ravi Shankar, Party Orders Probe

Last Updated:November 09, 2026, 11:29 pm IST

Tamil Nadu MLA Ravi Shankar faced scrutiny after a viral video allegedly showed him assaulting a constituent raising civic issues. TVK is conducting an inquiry.

The TVK supporter (in pic) has now released another clip, alleging that he was forced by the TVK MLA to retract his earlier statement.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Speaker and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA Ravi Shankar has come under scrutiny for allegedly assaulting a man who approached him to raise civic issues, including a shortage of drinking water and garbage accumulation in his locality.

According to complainant Karthik Kumar, a resident of Kannan Biran Colony in Thuraiyur, the MLA used abusive language and physically assaulted him when he went to him to bring the civic problems to his attention

A purported video of the incident has gone viral on social media. It purportedly shows the man saying, “I voted for you, I voted for Thalapathy.”

TVK Supporter Alleges Assault, Threats To Family, CM Vijay To Hold Meet

Amid the allegations, the TVK’s disciplinary action committee is set to conduct an inquiry into the matter. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will also hold a meeting with all the MLAs at the party’s Pannayur office on Wednesday.

After the matter came to light, the man released a video claiming that the footage was being misrepresented on social media. The TVK supporter has now released another clip, alleging that he was forced by Shankar to retract his earlier statement.

“Inspector forcefully took me to the Deputy Speaker’s residence. They then gave me a script to speak and threatened that they would kill my family if I refused to read out the script given by them,” he alleged.

What Is The Matter?

According to complainant, his locality had been facing a drinking water shortage for a week, while garbage had piled up in the area. He alleged that repeated complaints to the municipal authorities had failed to bring any relief.

Kumar also claimed that he had tried several times to contact his constituency MLA, Shankar, over the phone but received no response.

On Diwali, Kumar reportedly visited the Mannachanallur area for personal work. Since the MLA resides there, he approached the MLA to bring the civic problems to his attention where he claimed he was assaulted.

A video purportedly showing the incident later surfaced on social media, drawing criticism and sparking questions about the conduct of an elected representative towards a constituent seeking help with local civic issues.

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What led to the allegations against TVK MLA Ravi Shankar by a local constituent?

Complainant Karthik Kumar alleged that MLA Ravi Shankar used abusive language and physically assaulted him when he approached the leader to raise local civic issues, including a drinking water shortage and piled-up garbage in Thuraiyur.

What actions did the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party take following the viral video?

Following the viral assault allegations, the TVK disciplinary action committee initiated an inquiry into the matter, and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay scheduled a meeting with all MLAs at the Pannayur office.

What did the complainant later claim regarding his retracted statement about the video?

The supporter released a new video claiming that an inspector forcefully took him to the Deputy Speaker’s residence, where he was given a script and threatened with his family’s safety if he did not retract his initial statement.

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Manisha RoySenior Sub-Editor

Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers politics and a wide range of hard news, with a keen interest in national and international d…Read More

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