Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran was booked and four of his supporters, including former MLA S E Venkatachalam, were arrested in Salem on Monday on charges of sedition. They had distributed pamphlets that allegedly contained defamatory remarks against the central and state governments.
The Annadhanapatty police said Venkatachalam and others had distributed pamphlets blaming the central and state governments for the death of medical aspirant S Anitha, who committed suicide after she scored low in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
“We arrested Venkatachalam, 52, M Chandran, 52, R Surya, 38, V Kalaivani, 33,” said inspector of Annadhanapatty police station B Kumar.
The police have also booked TTV, Karnataka state AIADMK secretary Pugazhendhi and former MLAs Vetrivel, Selvam and S E Venkatachalam, along with 12 others, for sedition based on a complaint lodged by AIADMK zonal secretary K R S Saravanan. Police have registered a case under Sections 164, 143, 153, 500, 504 and 506(2) of the IPC.
“Venkatachalam mentioned in the pamphlets that both the central and state governments had killed Anitha and that they were to blame for her death,” Kumar said.
The inspector said Venkatachalam had mentioned in the pamphlets that the state had become a slave to the central government and the BJP. He said Venkatachalam and his supporters had distributed the pamphlets in Dadagapatti area in Salem on September 29.
The police said they were searching for others who distributed the pamphlets.
Dhinakaran said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was resorting to such a move as he was holding the home portfolio. “Unfortunately, Palaniswami became chief minister because of Chinnamma (Sasikala). The government will fall anyway. But since he is the minister for police, he wants to do (registering cases). It will not last long… Let them do what they want, but cadres and people are going to pack them home,” he told reporters near his residence.
He recalled a case filed by the Trichy police against him and actor Senthil for making derogatory remarks against an MP.
