The police have booked a case against V. Senthil Balaji, the DMK candidate for the byelection to the Aravakurichi Assembly constituency, S. Jothimani, the Congress candidate for Karur Lok Sabha constituency, and 100 others for allegedly threatening the Collector-cum-District Election Officer T. Anbalagan on Tuesday.
Mr. Anbalagan had lodged a complaint with the police against advocate Senthil, an election agent of Ms. Jothimani, and others alleging that they had barged into his official residence on Monday night and threatened him with dire consequences if the DMK-Congress front was not allowed to conclude its campaign near the Karur bus stand on Tuesday.
Both the AIADMK and the DMK front had sought permission for concluding their campaign near the bus stand at the same time. Amidst the possibility of a showdown between the two parties, the permission given to the rival candidates was cancelled.
Mr. Anbalagan alleged that Mr. Senthil and others had acted at the instigation of Mr. Senthil Balaji and Ms. Jothimani. Acting on his complaint, the Thanthonimalai police booked them under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 447 (criminal trespass), 353 (deterring public servant from discharging duty) and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code. Of them, Mr. Senthil Balaji, Ms. Jothimani and Mr. Senthil have been named as accused 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
The police have also stepped up security to the Collector following the incident. Inspector General of Police, Central Zone, V. Varadharaju, said armed police personnel had been posted at the Collector’s bungalow. A striking force would follow him wherever he went for supervising polling arrangements.
Audio clip
Meanwhile, an audio clip of a purported conversation between Ms. Jothimani and Mr.Anbalagan regarding the incident went viral on social media platforms.
In the conversation, the Collector complains that about 100 persons came to his bungalow at odd hours and threatened to kill him. But Ms. Jothimani replies that Mr. Senthil, an advocate, and others just wanted to present a petition to the Collector regarding the Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar’s public statement that the AIADMK would end its campaign near the Karur bus stand even though the Congress was given permission to conclude their campaign at the place.
While the Collector claims that he has maintained neutrality in the entire election process, Ms .Jothimani accuses him of favouring the AIADMK and acting as the party representative. At one stage, Mr. Anbalagan says that he will recommend to the Election Commission the cancellation of the election in Karur. While admitting that the male voice in the video clip was his, Mr. Anbalagan told The Hindu that besides seeking Ms. Jothimani’s cooperation to ensure free and fair election in a peaceful manner, he had registered his protest against the threat held out by her supporters under the pretext of presenting a petition during the night. Mr. Anbalagan claimed that he had only told her that if the officials continued to face intimidation, it might lead to the cancellation of the election.
“Election officials should not be threatened for gaining political mileage. All efforts are in place to conduct the election in a free and fair manner,” he said.
