Chennai: On a day when his bail plea was set to come up for hearing before a court here, AIADMK senior and former Minister D Jayakumar was today arrested in a fresh case.
According to sources, the police have filed the case against Jayakumar under four sections for an unlawful protest by violating Covid-19 norms during urban local body polls on 19 February.
Jayakumar was arrested Monday evening on charges of assaulting a DMK party worker during Saturday’s polling to urban local body polls inĀ Tamilnadu.
Amid heated arguments and stiff opposition from his family members, Jayakumar was arrested from his residence and produced before a Magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.
He was arrested for assaulting a DMK worker and forcing him to remove his shirt and parading him in public during polling.
In a video, the former Minister was seen directing Naresh, a DMK cadre, accused of attempting to cast bogus votes, to remove his shirt. The AIADMK cadre then tied Nareshās hands using the shirt and paraded him in public before handing him over to the police.
On a complaint from Naresh, the Tondiarpet Police booked Jayakumar and others under 10 sections of the IPC and other Acts.
Sources said cases were registered against them under Sections 147 (Punishment for Rioting), 148 (Rioting, with armed weapon) 294(b) (Uttering vulgar word in public), 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation) of IPC and other provisions of the City Police Act.
Meanwhile, the Tondiarpet Police arrested three DMK men based on a complaint given by Jagannathan, the driver of Jayakumar, who alleged that he was attacked by them on Saturday. Police said the DMK men ā Kolanjinathan, 49, of Park Town, Sridhar, 46, of Tondiarpet, and Sudhakar, 43, of Pallavan Salai, were arrested.
The AIADMK leadership and BJP State president K Annamalai condemned the arrest of Jayakumar and termed it as politically motivated.
Instead of taking action against the person who tried to cast a bogus vote and arresting Jayakumar for catching the DMK worker and handing him over to the police was a vindictive act of the ruling DMK, AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami said, strongly condemning the arrest.