Tamil Nadu: Clash Erupts Between AIADMK Supporter And Police In Vellore - Watch Video

DVAC sleuths conducted search operations at more than 20 properties attached to the former minister in Chennai, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts.

Chennai: After the sleuths from Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) started searching properties attached to the former AIADMK minister KC Veeramani in the state on Thursday, clashes erupted between his supporters and police officials outside his residence in Vellore district. 

According to reports, one of the journalists was attacked by Veeramani’s supporters during the clashes that took place outside his house in Vellalore. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital. 

DVAC sleuths conducted search operations at more than 20 properties attached to the former minister in Chennai, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur districts. The search operations commenced around 7 am on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, DVAC filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Veeramani under sections 13(2) r/w 12(1)(e) and 13(2) r/2 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act on Wednesday. 

The FIR read, “there is a vigilance information that the former minister was involved in various corruption activities and intentionally enriched himself illicitly and acquired properties and pecuniary resources in his name which are disproportionate to his known source of income.”

Veeramani was elected as MLA from Jolarpet assembly constituency in Thiruppattur district twice in 2011 and 2016. He had been the minister for school education, archaeology, sports and youth welfare and Tamil official language and Tamil culture department between February 2013 and October 2016, minister for commercial taxes and registration department between May 2016 and May 2021. 

The FIR said, as per his financial statements, the pecuniary resources and properties acquired by Veeramani in his name and his dependents’ names should not have exceeded Rs 1,83,61,100 during the time period but he had acquired assets worth Rs 28,78,13,758 in excess which is 654% of his total income. 

Meanwhile, AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar who spoke to reporters, said that the ruling DMK government has taken up DVAC raids as a tool to take political vendetta and they would prove their innocence legally. 

Pointing out that rural local body elections are scheduled to take place in nine districts in October, he said that the raids were aimed at preventing the AIADMK members from working actively for the election and diverting the attention of the people from the ruling party’s failure to fulfill its electoral promises.