More than 380 complaints of land grabbing during the previous DMK regime have been received so far in eight western districts of Tamil Nadu, a top police official said on Tuesday.
“Till date, we have received 387 petitions and cases had been registered in respect of 13 of them. Other complaints are being scrutinised,” Inspector General of Police (Western Range) K Vanniaperumal told reporters at nearby Vaikundam.
When asked whether any complaint had been lodged against any former minister or MLA, he said most of the petitions were against politicians but declined to elaborate saying police were still scrutinising them.
Under directions from police headquarters after the AIADMK came to power, special cells have been set up in all districts to exclusively investigate complaints of land grabbing and a few DMK local level functionaries had been arrested in some cities in the past fortnight.
Mr. Vanniaperumal also said there were 1,500 vacancies in the police department in the western range, comprising districts of Salem, Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam, Erode, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Dhamapuri and Tirupur.
Speaking after inaugurating the village vigilance committee comprising local civilians, he said in each village a 20-member ‘friends of police’ committee would be set up to help police in regulating traffic and night patrolling.
In all 8,000 friends of police would be selected in the range and trained, he added.
He appreciated the Krishnagiri Hill Area Vigilance Committee for persuading tribal men to surrender 125 unlicenced weapons. The district has been adjudged the best among the eight districts in the functioning of the committees.
