Annamalai, the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has launched a scathing critique of the Tamil Nadu police’s response to the recent petrol bomb incident at Raj Bhavan. During his padayatra in Erode on Thursday, Annamalai accused the ruling DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) of undermining the integrity of the state’s police force.In his address, Annamalai expressed his concerns about the state of law enforcement in Tamil Nadu, specifically regarding the petrol bomb incident. He referred to statements made by the Chennai police commissioner, who downplayed the incident by suggesting that the bomb had been thrown only outside Raj Bhavan, not inside the premises. Annamalai questioned the government’s interpretation of this as an achievement, asserting that it is hardly something to be proud of.
According to Annamalai, the actual sequence of events tells a different story. He alleged that the assailant had thrown a petrol bomb in front of Raj Bhavan, and when security personnel subdued him, he proceeded to hurl another bomb inside the compound. Annamalai criticized the commissioner for seeming content that no bomb was thrown inside, likening it to claiming that someone was attacked with a knife but was not fatally wounded.
Annamalai also drew parallels with a past incident, the Coimbatore car blast in front of the Kottai Sangameswarar temple. During that event, the police initially characterized it as a cylinder explosion, with Chief Minister M K Stalin supporting this narrative. However, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later uncovered a terrorist plot and arrested 13 suspects. Annamalai asserted that the blame does not lie with the police department but rather with the DMK government.
He accused the DMK of diminishing the credibility and effectiveness of the police force in Tamil Nadu, asserting that the party is responsible for the decline in the state’s law enforcement. Annamalai’s strong criticisms reflect the growing tensions and political divisions in the state, setting the stage for continued debates on the state of governance and public safety in Tamil Nadu.
