Madurai rural police on Friday slapped a case against union minister M.K.Alagiri and three other DMK functionaries on charges of rioting and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.
Official sources said the minister along with his associates had been to Valladikkara Swamy temple in Vellalur naadu falling under Melur constituency in Madurai district on Friday evening to meet the ambalakarars, the heads of ambalam caste (a Thevar sect) in 24 naadus (blocks), and seek votes in favour of DMK where the party has fielded novice Rani, wife of Rajamanickam, late Congress legislator of Melur.
On instructions from collector and district election officer U.Sahayam, assistant returning officer and Melur tahsildar M.Kalimuthu (50) took the videographer concerned with him to monitor the activities of the partymen in accordance with the rules of the Election Commission of India.
Eyewitnesses said the villagers stopped the police team from entering the temple. However, DSP Manivannan and sub-inspector Vanamoorthi managed to go inside the temple along with the tahsildar and the videographer. Madurai deputy mayor P.M.Mannan, Melur east panchayat union secretary A.P. Raghupathy and branch secretary Tirugnanam had accompanied the minister along with scores of DMK men.
According to eyewitness accounts, Mr Alagiri offered prayers and put `100 as dakshana in the pooja plate. When the videographer was recording him offering worship, he got irritated and had reportedly asked his men to send him out. “No sooner did he say this, the three DMK functionaries chased the videographer. The frightened videographer left the video camera in the hands of the tahsildar and ran away from the place. The trio along with several others rounded the officer up and tried to snatch the equipment from the officer but he did not give in. When they banged the officer on his head, the DSP and the SI rushed to his rescue,” a source present in the temple at the time of the incident told DC.
An official said Mr Kalimuthu who also suffered an incision on his hand was treated at the Melur government hospital as an outpatient. The tahsildar has lodged a complaint with the Keelavalavu police stating that the three DMK men and several others had attacked him in the presence of the minister.
Cases have been filed against Mr Alagiri, Mannan, Raghupathy and Tirugnanam and 50 others under sections 332, 341 and 147 of IPC, said a senior police officer who did not want to be named.
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