Chennai: In a shocking incident, a group of inebriated DMK men attacked employees of a restaurant in Virugambakkam after they told them they were closed for the day. The police arrested a person in connection with the attack.
According to police, the incident happened on July 29 and the action has been taken after the CCTV footage of the attack went viral on Wednesday and Virugambakkam police arrested Rudrakumar.
However main accused K.L. Yuvaraj, a DMK functionary, who is seen punching the hotel staff in their faces several times injuring them severely, was in RSS and Tamil Manila Congress earlier. Soon after the incident came to light on Wednesday, DMK working president M.K. Stalin suspended Yuvaraj and another party member Diwakar for attacking the hotel staff and cautioned the cadre of stern action on Twitter if their actions bring disrepute to the party.
The police said that the incident happened at Salem RR Biriyani restaurant on Kamarajar Salai in Virugambakkam. "A group of men led by Yuvaraj entered the restaurant and demanded food for about 30 party members who have camped outside the Kauvery hospital, where DMK leader M. Karunanidhi has been admitted. When the manager Prakash told them that they were closed for the day, Yuvaraj got into an argument with him and started attacking him," the police said.
He was soon joined by his other men who were waiting at the doorstep and a few other waiters of the restaurant were also attacked. Anbu, the owner of the biriyani shop, has told police that Yuvaraj has the previous enmity with him after an argument over parking his vehicle in front of the shop.
DMK suspends biriyani boxer for attacking staff
Upset at not getting biriyani at a hotel, a burly DMK functionary along with his musclemen brutally beat up the staff of a biriyani hotel at Virugambakkam here on Sunday. With the CCTV visuals of the rowdyism going viral and lapped up by the TV channels, DMK general secretary K. Anbazhagan suspended the gang leader, Yuvraj, said to be the secretary of the party's thondar-ani (volunteers' wing), as well as one of his associates named Dhivakar, from the primary membership as both "behaved in a manner that is not in line with the party discipline and brought disrepute to the party".
DMK working president M.K.Stalin tweeted his deep anger at the party members' unruly conduct. "The attack on the shop staff in Virugambakkam is highly condemnable. We have removed the men who violated the principles of our party. Strict action will be taken against those who act in a manner that brings disrepute to the party", he tweeted.
While the DMK's action in merely suspending the two men from the party and not sacking them outright received much flak on the social media, party leaders took pains to explain to the media that the DMK constitution does not allow expulsion from the party right away without first giving the delinquent a notice seeking explanation and slapping suspension on the person awaiting his reply.
Yuvraj and his gang members bashed up the hotel staff when the latter told them that the hotel had run out biriyani and they were about to down the shutters.
"They seemed drunk. We pleaded that our stock of biriyani got over and there was no more food available. They started punching us, causing bleeding injuries as they were wearing metal bangles. Some of the staff needed stitches", said a hotel staff still not recovered from the brutal attack.
CCTV footage showed Yuvraj jumping up and down like a boxer to deliver his fast punches at the hapless hotel cashier and his staff. The other members of the rowdy gang joined their leader in delivering their own share of hard blows at the quivering workers in the eatery. The gang pulled down the hotel shutter after the attack and walked away. Police arrested one of them much later, while the rest of the gang, including Yuvraj, remained untraceable.
