Chennai: Hours after Chief Minister M K Stalin asserted on Monday that law would take its own course over the humiliation of a DMK functionary here on the day of urban civic polls, police arrested AIADMK leader and former Minister D Jayakumar.
A criminal case for offences under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 294 (b) (obscene language), 153 (provocation to cause riot), 355 (assault), 323 (hurting), 324 (hurt by dangerous weapons), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of IPC and three more sections of The Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act has been registered against Jayakumar and at least 40 other AIADMK men.
Royapuram police also registered a separate case against him for offences punishable under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269, 270 (negligent act to spread infection) of IPC, besides the City Police Act.
Jayakumar was arrested by the Chennai police on charges of assaulting a DMK party man, forcing him to remove his shirt and parading him in public during the civic elections held on Saturday.
A posse of senior police officers led by Deputy Commissioner of Police E Sundaravathanam entered Jayakumar’s house in Pattinampakkam and arrested him amid heated arguments and opposition from his family members.
Naresh, the youth who was allegedly assaulted by Jayakumar, had filed one of the cases against him. Naresh was later admitted to a government hospital in the city.
Over 30 police officials arrested Jayakumar from his home, his wife Jayakumari claimed. She further alleged that the police have foisted a case on Jayakumar and that they were only acting on behalf of the DMK. He was produced before a Magistrate and was sent to judicial custody till 7 March.
Meanwhile, AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami have condemned the incident.