Annamalai condemns arrest of party functionaries over flag post row
Some residents in Panaiyur had opposed the flag post being raised. Following the protest, police officials reached the spot with a JCB and removed the newly erected flagpost from the area.
TN BJP president K Annamalai (File)
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Annamalai on Saturday condemned the ruling DMK government for arresting senior party functionaries for creating a ruckus over raising a flag post outside the compound wall of his residence last night in Panaiyur, Chennai.
"Tamil Nadu BJP's State President of Sports and Skill Development, amarprasadreddyand BJP4 Tamilnadu Executives Surendra Kumar, Balakumar, Kanyappan, and Vinod Kumar, I strongly condemn the DMK government for arresting Senthil Kumar and the police," K Annamalai posted on X.
"DMK's trend of keeping people fat with corruption in the cabinet and taking revenge on the BJP for the sole reason of criticising DMK's corrupt regime will not last long. People will soon teach a lesson to the DMK, which is swaying with power and arrogance," Annamalai added. Six members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been arrested for creating ruckus over raising a flag post outside the compound wall of party state chief K Annamalai's residence last night in Panaiyur, Chennai.
Some residents in Panaiyur had opposed the flag post being raised. Following the protest, police officials reached the spot with a JCB and removed the newly erected flagpost from the area. In response to this, BJP workers gathered around the area and started opposing the flag post removal, which resulted in a tense situation in the area.
Shortly, after the situation got out of control and BJP workers started creating a ruckus, a team of police reached the spot and arrested six people including BJP Sports and Development Cell State President Amar Prasad Reddy. Further, Amar Prasad Reddy was produced before the Magistrate Court in Tambaram.
Tambaram Judicial Magistrate Varsha ordered Judicial custody for Amar Prasad Reddy for 15 days until November 3. Speaking about the incident, the Tambaram Commissionarate said, "Without prior permission yesterday before the compound wall of BJP State President Annamalai's residence 45 feet flag pole was erected near to Electric wires engendering people's life and disturbing the public. Chennai Corporation and Police decided to remove this flag pole and informed the decision to BJP."
"Around 8 pm when the police tried to remove the flag pole BJP State Vice President Karu Nagarajan and around 110 people gathered and raised slogans against the Tamil Nadu Government and also stopped the officials from doing duty. T20 Kanathur Police registered a case against them and they were released on bail," it said. "Likewise, when Chennai Corporation used JCB to remove the flag pole, a few workers threw stones at JCB glass and broke it. Regarding this 5 were booked and sent to judicial custody," said the Commissionarate.
DMK Spokesperson TKS Elangovan reacted saying, "BJP can never grow in Tamil Nadu. First, do they have permission to erect a new flag pole? Is their own land? Even we DMK and everyone has to get permission to erect flag poles in public places. No political vendetta and all."