: Leader of the Opposition and DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Tuesday demanded the transfer of Chennai Police Commissioner S. George and other officers for their alleged failure in handling the peaceful pro-jallikattu protests of students and for trying to divert the attention by claiming that the violence was the work of “anti-nationals” and “anti-socials”.
In a statement, Mr. Stalin said he had met Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Monday and demanded an enquiry commission headed by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court to go into the police brutality against the protesters on the Marina and its environs.
Reiterating his demand for an enquiry commission, the DMK leader said the Commissioner of Police, State Intelligence chief and intelligence in-charge of Chennai city police all should be transferred to ensure fair probe.
Recalling the violent incidents on Monday, Mr. Stalin said there was no need to hurriedly remove the peaceful protesters. When the Assembly was being convened in the evening, they could have held negotiations with the students. Instead, the AIADMK government had used police, till then very friendly, to launch an attack on the protesters, charged. “It is totally unacceptable in a democracy,” he said, alleging that the government tried to black out reports of police brutalities from being aired on television news channels. Mr. Stalin vehemently condemned Mr. George’s statements terming those fighting for Tamil culture as “anti-nationals” and “anti-socials”. If such elements had infiltrated the crowd of peaceful protesters, what was the city police doing for seven days, he asked.
The violent incidents also showed the “lack of leadership” in the government, leaving the police confused. Footage of policemen setting fire to autorickshaws and huts, forcibly entering houses and launching attacks on women all showed the deterioration of the police force in the AIADMK rule, he charged.
