Senior AIADMK leaders, including former minister S P Velumani, PRG Arun Kumar, Pollachi V Jayaraman, Amman K Arjunan, K R Jayaraman and others along with several party functionaries were detained by the Coimbatore Police for staging a sit-in protest at the collector’s office for over four hours alleging irregularities ahead of the state urban local body polls, slated to be held Saturday. The MLAs, who refused to adhere to the police instructions, were forcefully removed from the place.
AIADMK functionaries claimed that the DMK government is taking all efforts to stop the district administration from conducting the state urban local body polls in a transparent manner. More than 40 party cadres gathered at the district collector’s office. They sat at the entrance of the collector’s building and raised slogans against the district administration.
Addressing the reporters, Velumani said non-natives of Coimbatore from Chennai and Karur are still in the district to cause law and order issues ahead of the urban local body polls.
He added, “2,000 rowdy elements, goondas have been released from prison and they are present around Coimbatore to change this place into a riot area. False cases are registered against people who oppose DMK. We have given so many petitions to the district collector. The police personnel themselves are working for DMK and distributing gift items to voters.”
வெளியூர்களில் இருந்து கோவை மாவட்டத்திற்கு அழைத்து வரப்பட்டவர்கள் அனைவரையும் உடனடியாக வெளியேற்றி, தேர்தலை நியாயமான முறையில் நடத்த நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். துணை இராணுவ படையை பாதுகாப்பு பணியில் ஈடுபடுத்த வேண்டும். #Coimbatore #TNLocalBodyElections pic.twitter.com/i1yUF6Jv6c
— SP Velumani (@SPVelumanicbe) February 18, 2022
He further said, “The people of Coimbatore had been living at peace for the past 20 years, we have never seen an election like this. As per the Model Code of Conduct, non-natives should have left the district by 6 pm yesterday (Thursday) but till now, the rowdy elements are present in the district and causing nuisance. We have lost confidence in the district police. There is no safety of candidates who are contesting against DMK. If this continues, people will not step out of their houses to vote. We had won 11 constituencies in the last Assembly polls here, so Udhayanidhi Stalin and other ministers will do whatever to stop AIADMK from winning these polls. They are using all the government machinery to their benefit. Para-military forces need to be deployed for a smooth conduct of the polls,” he said.
Despite the efforts of District Collector K Sameeran and Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order north) T Jeyachandran, the protestors did not agree to leave the venue until their demand for a fair poll was implemented and hence the police used force and detained them inside a private hall.
Ever since the beginning of the nomination process, AIADMK party workers have been alleging that the police and other government officials are acting in favour of the ruling government.