Chennai: DMK working president M K Stalin today visited the biriyani restaurant at Virugambakkam and expressed regret to its staff members injured during the attack by a gang of DMK members 29 July.
A student from the DMK youth wing, who was part of a gang that assaulted the employees of the restaurant after they declined to serve them biriyani for free, was arrested today.
The police are on the lookout for the main accused, Yuvaraj and Diwakar, who are absconding.
Suresh, the student, was part of a 11-member gang arrested after they assaulted the employees of Salem R R Biriyani at Virugambakkam as the restaurant refused to serve them food since it was closing time.
A senior police official said Yuvaraj and Diwakar were DMK members and that they were absconding.
GOES VIRAL
A video of the attack that happened Sunday night went viral on social media yesterday, where a couple of persons are seen thrashing the restaurant staff after a heated argument.
The footage showed one of the members of the gang (Yuvaraj) throwing punches on the hapless restaurant staff in boxing style, drawing widespread ridicule and criticism of the DMK.
In the footage, Yuvaraj leans over the counter and slaps the cashier. When a waiter intervenes, Yuvaraj and his friends slap him too. The cashier then becomes a victim of a volley of violent punches on the face mainly by Yuvaraj and then the others take turns.
Another waiter who tries to intervene is also attacked.
According to the hotel staff, the men had assaulted them for not giving free biriyani. The hotel staff said the group was going to the hospital where DMK president M Karunanidhi is being treated.
PARTY CRACKS WHIP
The DMK took serious view of the matter and its general secretary K Anbazhagan announced the ‘suspension’ of Yuvaraj and Diwakar for ‘violating the party discipline and bringing disrepute’ to it.
They were being suspended from the party’s primary membership, he said in a statement last evening.
Stalin also warned that such indiscipline will not be tolerated. In a tweet yesterday, he said, “Strong action will be taken against anyone bringing disrepute to the party.”
(Correspondents: A Harsha Vardhan and M Bharat Kumar)