Stalin was never arrested or detained, say police

Chennai, July 30 (IBNS) Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and party patriarch M Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin was not arrested or even detained on Saturday, Tamil Nadu police said, denying media reports that claimed otherwise.

Earlier in the day reports said that Stalin had been taken into custody by police and later released after a few hours, with the incident occurring on a day when two senior DMK leaders were arrested on land grabbing charges.

The former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and his supporters were held when the police went to question DMK's district leader Kalaivanan in a case, reports said, adding that Kalaivanan, the district secretary of DMK, was later arrested.

Police however later said that Stalin was merely “moved” as he was obstructing traffic when leading a road blockade in Tiruvarur district.

Tamil Nadu chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief J Jayalalithaa also denied that Stalin was arrested.

Earlier on Saturday, DMK MLA from J Anbazhagan was arrested from Chennai on Saturday on land grabbing charges, while former DMK minister Veerapandi Arumugam was picked up from another part of the state.

With the recent change of power in the state that saw the AIADMK taking over the state DMK, the police have been rounding off DMK “strong-men” against whom there have been several allegations of land grabbing.

Arumugam, who had surrendered to police on July 25, questioned and then let off on bail was arrested on Saturday morning on a fresh land grab complaint, media reports said.

Police had last week also arrested four close aides of Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and DMK leader M K Alagiri in Madurai on land grab charges.

The AIADMK has set up special police cells across the state to deal with such complaints against which the DMK has raised allegations of victimising its members.

DMK supremo M Karunanidhi said AIADMK was trying to slap false cases against his partymen.

He said the DMK will protest on Aug 1 in Tamil Nadu against the witch hunt.

"It will be peaceful protest to condemn false cases against DMK members," Karunanidhi said.

Jayalalithaa has trashed the charges that she was pursuing vendetta politics against the Opposition. She said land grabbing cases cannot be called a politics of vendetta.

"Complaints of land grabbing was there during the last five year by the affected persons but no action was taken by the DMK government," she told a press conference.

She said after her government came to power action is being taken. She said fast track courts were now being set up to follow up those flood of cases.