Karunanidhi invokes NSA to curb riots

CHENNAI, Dec 3: The Tamil Nadu Government will detain under the National Security Act (NSA), anyone inciting communal hatred or violence in...

CHENNAI, Dec 3: The Tamil Nadu Government will detain under the National Security Act (NSA), anyone inciting communal hatred or violence in the state, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi warned today. Talking to newspersons here, Karunanidhi said the government was examining the legal steps for acting on a suggestion to ban fundamentalist organisations in the state.

“In the meanwhile, we will not hesitate to put down communal elements trying to incite hatred or violence,” he added.

The chief minister said, The newly-appointed state Director General of Police F C Sharma had left for Coimbatore after meeting him this morning, he added.

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Karunanidhi denied allegations that a section of the policemen in Coimbatore had revolted against the state government on Sunday last. “One of their colleagues, Selvaraj, had been killed and they wore black badges in protest,” he added.

He warned of severe action against anyone spreading rumours of disaffection between the state police personnel and government officials. “We are aware that some posters and handbills were distributed in this regard,” he added.He said the state government would implement three major suggestions put forth at last night’s all-party peace committee meeting at Coimbatore.

Schools would remain closed in the textile city till Friday, deployment of army and central para-military personnel would continue till normalcy was fully restored in that city and all posters denigrating religions would be removed, he said.

Replying to a question, Karunanidhi said he had met Governor M Fathima Beevi, last evening to apprise her of the situation in Coimbatore. He rejected AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister J Jayalalitha’s demand for replacing Justice P R Gokulakrishnan, appointed to probe the Coimbatore violence, as according to her, the judge was his personal friend.

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The judge was a good friend of late CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran, Karunanidhi said, adding that in 1967, as the then public prosecutor, he had appeared in the case relating to the attempt on Ramachandran’s life.“He may be my friend, but everyone expects him to act without bias while conducting the probe,” the chief minister asserted.

Karunanidhi denied reports that Sharma was appointed as the new DGP superseding R K Raghavan, who now now heads the state Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption. “Raghavan has been handling corruption cases quite well for the last one year and we want him to continue his good work,” he added.

He also rejected Jayalalitha’s contention that army deployment in the state was an unprecedented step implying breakdown of law and order. The army has been deployed to curb the violence and avoid spreading of riots to other parts of the state.