Chennai: A team of Tamil Nadu Police from Coimbatore district raided the Paddington Resort in Coorg district, where 15 MLAs supporting Dhinakaran are currently staying, reportedly to arrest a former minister and MLA P. Palaniappan in connection with a criminal case based on a “tip-off.”
The team, according to the MLAs, also questioned them about their “nature of stay” and whether they were staying at the behest of someone or of their own will. “The police behaved very rudely with the MLAs. Their tone was quite rude and they did not treat us in the manner we should have been as the people’s representatives,” Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan told DC over the phone.
“Once the team got convinced that he was not there, they returned without disturbing anyone,” police sources said, adding that they had informed the Coorg district police about their visit.
Eyewitnesses in the resort said the police personnel entered the resort in plainclothes, but soon wore their uniform before they began the raid. Tamilselvan alleged that the raid was intended to “create an atmosphere of fear” among the MLAs, but said they will not be “intimidated.” “We are staying here on our own. Why should the TN police come raid us here? If they think we will get intimidated, they are wrong,” he said.
