AIADMK cadre besiege Sivasenapathy’s car, Minister Velumani among four booked

The AIADMK cadre besieged the car of Karthikeya while he was coming out of a polling station in Selvapuram. The video of the incident doing rounds on social media shows the party workers surrounding his car and blocking its way. They also raised slogans against the DMK and banged the window shields of the car with bare hands.

As tension escalated, the cadres of both DMK and AIADMK exchanged minor blows. Then, police intervened and brought the situation under control even as they battled hard to make way for the car of Karthikeya by forcing the protestors out of his way. Later, in a complaint, Karthikeya urged the Election Officer S Nagarajan to initiate action against the AIADMK cadre. He claimed that the AIADMK workers resorted to violence at the behest of Minister SP Velumani. Karthikeya alleged that AIADMK cadre led by a few party functionaries attacked and issued death threats to him. However, Velumani denied the allegations and said Karthikeya had been making false allegations out of fear of defeat.

In a counter complaint MGR Youth Wing district secretary Chandrasekar targeted Karthikeya for attempting to stop the polls by raking up false allegations. It was the DMK candidate who was involved in campaigning near the polling station and reacted with violence when the public questioned him, he alleged.

Meanwhile, SP Velumani and three others were booked by Selvapuram police for unlawful assembly in violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC). More than 200 persons from AIADMK, including the Minister, had gathered at the party office on Perur Main Road in Selvapuram.

The Minister has been booked under IPC sections 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC and 126 (2) (prohibition of public meetings) of the Representation of People Act, 1951.