Banner row: MDMK district secretary arrested

A complaint was preferred with the Saidapet police station on the attack on the Chennai municipal corporation staff.

CHENNAI: The MDMK’s South Chennai west district secretary Subramani was arrested  by the city police for attacking Chennai corporation assistant engineer, Varadaraj who removed the MDMK flags put up on the arterial Anna Salai here on September 15, in connection with the party’s birth anniversary celebrations of the late Dravidian leader C N Annadurai.

Noticing the fluttering flags, Mr. Varadaraj and his team of workers began removing the MDMK flags as it was a hindrance to the public. Seeing the corporation workers in action, enraged MDMK workers rushed to the spot and allegedly attacked Varadaraj and his co-workers.

A complaint was preferred with the Saidapet police station on the attack on the Chennai municipal corporation staff.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case against the MDMK workers including its south Chennai west district secretary Subramani under four sections including attempt to murder.

Subramani, who was arrested by the police on Monday, was remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday and lodged in Puzhal prison here. Policemen with help of a video are also in the process of identifying the others who attacked the corporation offi-cials.

The MDMK general secretary Vaiko MP condemned the arrest and alleged that police foisted the case against Subramani “upon orders from above”, whereas he had gone to that spot only to save the corporation engineer from the attack carried out by “some party members in emotional reaction to the party flags being removed”.
Vaiko also urged the government to withdraw the case against Subramani.