S. Thiruvikka, a member of the Karur district panchayat from the AIADMK, was abducted by unidentified persons near Vedasandur on Monday noon. He returned safely in the evening.
High drama prevailed when the incident occurred near Naganampatti village within the Vedasandur police station limits. Mr. Thiruvikka was travelling with former Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar from Dindigul to a polling station in Karur district for an indirect election to the post of Karur district panchayat vice-chairperson, when a group of men attacked him and damaged the car in which the AIADMK cadre were travelling.
The AIADMK cadre lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that members of the ruling DMK were behind the kidnapping, with an eye on the election.
S. Thiruvikka
Superintendent of Police V. Baskaran said Mr. Thiruvikka reached the Vedasandur police station safely without any injury in the evening. “During an interrogation, he claimed that four unidentified men took him into a thicket and later dropped him off near the Natham bus stand, from where he came to Vedasandur on his own,” the SP said.
He said Mr. Thiruvikka was not sure if the kidnappers were from the ruling party, and added that he would be questioned further on Tuesday. The SP said efforts were on to identify the men who abducted him, using CCTV footage.
Mr. Baskaran clarified that Mr. Thiruvikka was not contesting the election on behalf of the AIADMK, and the party’s official candidate was another member, identified as Ramesh. Earlier, Mr. Thiruvikka had filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the authorities to conduct the election under the supervision of a retired High Court or District Court judge.
He apprehended that malpractices would be committed during the election, and hence, he sought adequate police protection as well as videographing of the process. However, the State told the court that the allegations were unfounded.
Taking note of the submissions, the court directed that the Returning Officer conduct the election as per schedule on December 19; that the entire process be videographed; and that the final result not be published. Further, the court sought a report in this regard in a sealed cover on December 22.
Election held
Meanwhile, the election was held as scheduled under the supervision of Karur Collector T. Prabhushankar. The AIADMK combine and the DMK have an equal strength of six ward members in the district panchayat council.
Mr Prabhushankar told The Hindu that the election was held for an hour in the afternoon, during which 11 out of a total of 12 district ward members cast their vote. The entire voting process was videographed and held under CCTV surveillance.
The votes were counted in front of the ward members. However, the final result was not declared. A report would be submitted in a sealed cover before the High Court as directed, the Collector said. Ms. Thenmozhi contested on behalf of DMK and Ramesh on behalf of the AIADMK for the vice-chairperson’s post.
Earlier, there were tense moments as members of the AIADMK and the DMK assembled in front of the Collectorate, where a heavy posse of police personnel was deployed. Mr. Vijayabhaskar also arrived at the spot. Police sources said there were altercations and heated arguments between the two groups. Superintendent of Police, Karur, E. Sundaravathanam arrived at the spot to ensure order. The tension lasted nearly an hour, after which both sides dispersed.
