Chennai: After the Jayalalithaa conviction, the high profile Gopalapuram and Poes Garden witnessed protest demonstrations.
With Jayalalithaa’s bail petition coming up in the Supreme Court on Friday, the police personnel are on tenterhooks, particularly those attached to Royapettah and Teynampet jurisdiction (which house the party offices of the AIADMK, DMK and the residences of former Chief Ministers M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa).
“City police are in a catch 22 situation; they have recorded cases against AIADMK and DMK workers for disrupting public life, but the investigations are hanging in the balance,” said Subash Chandra Bose, DMK floor leader in the city corporation.
Police had recorded counter cases unnecessarily against DMK workers and dragged M.K. Stalin’s name in the FIR, he alleged.
Meanwhile, some AIADMK functionaries are also unhappy with police for not arresting mischief mongers. “When we were groaning in pain after our party chief was convicted, DMK cadres celebrated, creating tension, and this led to our party workers to march towards Gopalapuram,” opined an AIADMK councillor.
“It is a difficult situation for us. The functionaries of both the Dravidian majors are politically exploiting the situation and hence, we booked cases against all those who assembled, affecting public life,” a senior police official said.
The state police claimed that they had registered 108 cases in one week between September 27 and October 3 and arrested 177 persons.
The state police headquarters also claimed that they detained 7,193 persons as a preventive measure during the same period, besides asking all commissioners and district police chiefs to mobilise their strength in full.
“Vigil on districts bordering Karnataka was increased and 38 companies of TSP battalions were deployed throughout the state,” read a status report filed by the state in the high court.
Further, the status report pointed out that the deployment of the 38 TSP companies is still continuing in the state.
