Sedition case on TTV Dhinakaran over pamphlet slamming PM
Dhinakaran supporters had distributed pamphlets accusing the Centre and the Tamil Nadu govt for the death of medical aspirant S. Anitha.
Salem: Rebel AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran and 16 of his supporters were on Monday booked on sedition charges for publishing and distributing pamphlets that contained “defamatory remarks” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Dhinakaran supporters had distributed pamphlets accusing the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government for the death of medical aspirant S. Anitha. Anitha committed suicide as she could not pass the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Besides Pugazhendi, P. Vetrivel, former MLA, S.E. Venkatachalam and party functionary Saravanan, a case under various Sections of IPC, including 124A (Sedition), was filed against 20 unknown persons for distributing the pamphlet across Salem city.
The case was registered at the Annadanpatty police station in Salem and four persons, including Venkatachalam, have already been taken into custody. They have been booked under Sections 143, 120B, 124A, 153, 500, 504 and 506 (2) sections of the IPC based on a complaint by K.R.S. Saravanan, who alleged that the accused were found distributing the pamphlets.
The case was registered on Friday and the complaint says the pamphlets, which had Dhinakaran’s name, had “derogatory and defamatory remarks” against Modi and Palaniswami on various issues like NEET.
The pamphlets were distributed widely among people in Salem and some were even pasted on walls, sources said. Responding to filing of case against him, Dhinakaran dismissed it as “political vendetta.”
“This government is anyway going to fall. They are doing such these things since he (Palaniswami) is the police minister...Let them do what they want. The AIADMK supporters and the people are going to send them home,” Dhinakaran said.
This is the second case slapped against Dhinakaran, who is engaged in a tussle for power with Palaniswami, by the state police. Earlier, Dhinakaran along with Tamil comedian Senthil were booked for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Tiruchy MP, P.Kumar. However, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had restrained the Tiruchirapalli police from arresting them.