Chennai, Oct 22:
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) Dharapuram Assembly bypoll candidate M.Karthika, who was arrested along with her husband and seven other party functionaries, for staging protests during TVK Founder and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s road show during campaigning, were remanded in judicial custody, even as NTK Founder and Chief Coordinator Seeman annnounced a state-wide protest demonstration on October 24 to condemn the arrests and to demand their release.
Karthika and her husband, who were arrested from their residence in Coimbatore, were taken by road to Dharapuram in Tiruppur district. After questioning them for a few hours, they were produced before a
Court late last night, which remanded all the nine arrested in judicial custody for 15 days. They were subsequently sent to Coimbatore Central Prison.
Karthika, who is the state women’s wing secretary of NTK, and her husband, Murugu Chandrakumar, were arrested by Dharapuram police after registering cases. The other arrested functionaries included state propaganda secretary Isai Mathivanan, constituency in-charge Sanjay Gandhi and party members Kandasamy, Sheik Basheer, Surya, Gokul and Vignesh, reports said.
The cases relate to a protest organised by her and NTK workers during the election campaign on October four ahead of the October 6 by-election. Police alleged that NTK functionaries staged a road blockade and attempted to obstruct Vijay’s roadshow at Veerachimangalam junction in Dharapuram. The protest reportedly followed objections raised by party members after police denied permission for their campaigning in the area, citing the Chief Minister’s visit. After a brief commotion, all the protesters were removed reportedly from the Chief Minister’s convoy route.
Meanwhile, Seeman, who had strongly condemned her arrest and that of eight others, on Wednesday announced a protest demonstration on October 24. He termed the arrests as an act of political vendetta after foisting cases against her and “fascist and retributive politics” of TVK government.
He said the agitation would be held in all district headquarters condemning the arrest and demanding the release of all of them.
Leaders of all opposition parties including the DMK, AIADMK, PMK, AMMK and others condemned her arrest. They termed it as politically motivated, undemocratic and autocratic, and that intimidating a woman leader from an oppressed community reflected the dictatorial attitude of the government. They also questioned the need for arresting Karthika now for a case registered on October four and said it was an act of vendetta by the TVK government and to divert the attention of the people from the drug trafficking case in which TVK Nagapattinam district executive member and former Keezhvelur Assembly election in-charge was arrested by DRI leading to his expulsion from the party.