Senior AIADMK Leader Jayakumar Arrested For 'Assaulting' DMK Worker During Civic Polls

As soon as Jayakumar was taken into custody, AIADMK workers assembled before the police station and staged a road roko.

Senior AIADMK leader Jayakumar (Facebook)

New Delhi: Senior AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar was arrested on Monday for assaulting a DMK member during urban local body elections held on February 19, PTI reported.

Jayakumar and other AIADMK workers had caught the DMK worker, whom they accused of bogus voting, threatened him and took off his shirt.

An FIR was lodged against Jayakumar and others after the incident led to an outrage. Several sections of the IPC have been invoked against them.

Jayakumar was arrested from his Fore Shore Estate residence and taken to a police station. As soon as Jayakumar was taken into custody, AIADMK workers assembled before the police station and staged a road roko.

Urban local body polls were held on February 19 and counting will be held on Tuesday.

A war of words between the DMK and Opposition AIADMK broke out over the incident.

Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed the former minister for taking "law into his own hands" and "humiliating" a DMK office-bearer by "removing" his shirt on February 19. The Chief Minister asserted that the "law will take its own course" and that the DMK would face the matter legally.

On the other hand, the AIADMK has alleged that they nabbed a person who was involved in false voting and was handed over to the police.

In a joint statement, AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and former CM Palaniswami alleged that Jayakumar's arrest was a "precursor" to the "murder of democracy" to be staged by the ruling DMK during the counting of votes.

The AIADMK said Jayakumar only caught "red-handed" the man who had come to cast a "false vote" and rather protected him from getting beaten up and directing that he be handed over to the police, PTI reported.

BJP state president K Annamalai called the arrest a result of "political vendetta".