Chennai, Oct 28:
DMK leader and former minister P K Sekar Babu on Tuesday alleged that the Tamil Nadu government was attempting to intimidate the party by arresting former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in an alleged private-school approvals scam.
Speaking to reporters, Sekar Babu said Anbil Mahesh had cooperated with the police whenever he was summoned for questioning and was not someone who would evade investigators. He maintained that the arrest was intended to put pressure on the DMK and asserted that the party would not be intimidated.
“Anbil Mahesh is mentally strong and will remain so,” Sekar Babu said, adding that the support of DMK president M K Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin gave the party confidence.
Anbil Mahesh was arrested by the Chennai Central Crime Branch after the Madras High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. The case concerns allegations that more than Rs 400 crore was collected from private schools by promising to secure permanent recognition, permission for upgrading schools and other statutory approvals during the previous DMK regime.
The police have been investigating the allegations and have questioned people linked to the case. Anbil Mahesh has been remanded to judicial custody and lodged at Puzhal Central Prison.
The DMK has termed the arrest politically motivated, while the ruling TVK has defended the investigation as part of its campaign against corruption. The allegations against Anbil Mahesh remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.