Former Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday walked into the office of the Director-General of Police and offered to get arrested in the land grabbing case registered against him by the Central Crime Branch of the Chennai Police.
Since Director-General of Police K. Ramanujam was not available in office, Mr. Stalin submitted a couple of petitions to the ADGP (Administration) T.K. Rajendran.
Mr. Stalin said the First Information Report (FIR) against him, his son and four others was baseless and registered merely to settle political scores.
The case was based on a complaint lodged by N.S. Kumar alias Seshadri Kumar (64) of Alwarpet, alleging that he was forced by Mr. Stalin and his associates to sell his property. “The case was registered based on a false complaint given to tarnish my image and reputation in the eyes of the general public. The police have not verified the veracity of the allegations,” Mr. Stalin said, demanding action against the complainant.
Clarifying that neither he nor his family members had anything to do with the property transaction mentioned in the complaint, Mr. Stalin said his son Udhayanidhi Stalin had entered into a rental agreement through his company with the present owner of the house. “The police machinery is being misused and abused by the persons in power in order to settle political scores. The present complaint is registered with mala fide intention. The Police Department, which has to act in an unbiased manner, is acting as a tool of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. We will face this case legally,” he said.
In his petition addressed to the DGP, he alleged that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa owned two “unlawfully occupied properties” at Kodanadu and Siruthavur. He said though a member of a political party had given complaint, no action was taken by the police.
Mr. Stalin accused the present Chief Minister of acquiring a large area of land in the name of her close associates at Siruthavur from poor Dalit people without any consideration. He urged the police to take appropriate legal action by registering a case against Ms. Jayalalithaa on charges of land grabbing.
A large number of DMK party cadres had gathered at the police headquarters and raised slogans in support of Mr. Stalin. Earlier, on his arrival at Chennai airport from Tiruchi, Mr. Stalin told reporters that the First Information Report was a “fraud information report.” A large number of partymen had come to the airport to receive him. Police were deployed in strength at the airport in the early hours of Friday.
