Chennai, Sept 26 (BPNS)
A day after the Tamil Nadu DGP, C.Sylendrakumar directed the district police chiefs and commissioners to take stringent action against those disrupting the peace, the state police is continuing to crackdown against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadres over the alleged Molotov cocktail attacks.
The police have commenced a crackdown after incidents of motorbike–borne suspects throwing petrol and kerosene-laden lit bottles at the residences/ shops, offices of RSS, BJP workers and local leaders after the NIA arrest of the PFI leaders and cadres on September 22, Thursday.
The police on Sunday arrested several persons including Syed Ali (42) who is the SDPI, Salem district president in connection with the attack on the residence of RSS Salem town functionary, V.K. Rajan’s residence with kerosene-laden lit bottle. The police took action following CCTV visuals of the accused hurling kerosene laden bottle at the residence of Rajan at 1.40 am on Sunday. K. Khadeer Hussain, ward president of SDPI in Salem was the other arrested in the case. Both were presented before the magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.
In Erode also police arrested four SDPI functionaries in a Molotov cocktail attack on the furniture shop of an RSS worker , V. Dakshinamoorthy. The arrested are Sadam Hussain, Khalil Rahman, A. Jaffar, and A. Ashik.
The DGP has also warned of serious consequences against the perpetrators of violence and that stringent action would be taken against them including invoking the National Security Act (NSA).
The Tamil Nadu police are conducting raids at several residences of people affiliated with the PFI and SDPI after the DGP’s directive to the SPs and Commissioners. The Molotov cocktail attacks which commenced from Coimbatore have now spread into Erode, Salem, Ramanathapuram, Dindigul, Kanniyakumari and some parts of Chennai including Tambaram and police have been instructed to take stringent action against those involved in the violence.
The state intelligence is also providing proper inputs on the perpetrators of violence and District Superintendents and Commissioners of police have been given instructions to arrest local leaders as well as district-wise leaders of both the organizations if found that they were part of conspiracies in these Molotov cocktail attacks.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K. Annamalai said that the Tamil Nadu police’s hands were tied for the past fifteen months and that it was at its peak. He said that the party will not be cowed down by the cowardly acts of Molotov cocktail attacks. The BJP state president also said that the party has constituted four fact-finding teams to report on the damage caused to the residences/ shops and offices of party workers and that a report would be submitted to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah after getting the feedback from the committees.
