Government foisting false cases on party men, charges Stalin

Blaming the police for conducting a search operation to book cases against DMK MLA Karthik from Singanallur in Coimbatore, Stalin said that state DGP TK Rajendran has instructed Coimbatore police to commit such “excesses” and arrest DMK functionaries to save himself and the AIADMK Minister and disrupt the probe, which, the Madras High Court has transferred to the CBI. Describing the police action against DMK men, who demonstrated in front of the gutkha factory, as contempt of court and attempt to destroy evidence in the case, the DMK working president referred to the missing files handed over by I-T department to chief secretary and retirement of DGP allegedly involved in the case and charged the government with conducting such selective raids in gutkha factories to destroy evidence. Arrest of Opposition party members who question such evidence tampering was unacceptable, said Stalin, who is also the Leader of Opposition. 

“We demanded the sacking of Health Minister Vijaya Baskar and DGP Rajendran only because we feared that such attempts would be made to destroy evidence,” Stalin reasoned. He sought the immediate dismissal of the two and release of the DMK cadre arrested for protesting in front of the gutkha factory in Coimbatore.

Police arrested seven DMK functionaries and a search is on for three others, including Singanallur MLA N Karthik, for staging a demonstration, a couple of days ago in front of the illegal gutka manufacturing unit in Coimbatore outskirts.  While the raid was underway on last Saturday, a group of DMK functionaries led by MLA N Karthik and former Kannampalayam panchayat president and DMK functionary Murugesan reached the illegal gutka manufacturing unit and staged a protest demanding an impartial probe. Three days after the protest, police teams swooped down on the house of DMK functionaries in the early hours on Tuesday. They arrested ‘Thalapathy’ Murugesan (53), former Kannampalayam panchayat president, PS Selvaraj (52), Paramasivam (50), Suresh Kumar (34), Kabilan (49), KN Shanmugam (53) and Selvaraj (47).  The DMK MLA’s family members informed the police that he was out of station. Police however launched a search for him and two others.  Police have booked cases and they were produced before Sulur Magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody. Arrested men raised slogans against the government and police, while being taken to Coimbatore Central Prison. Former DMK minister Pongalur N Palanisamy warned, “If the police fail to withdraw these cases, massive protests will be organised by the DMK across Tamil Nadu.”