How Tamil Nadu witnessed the dramatic arrest and release of Karunanidhi and Stalin in 2001

Events surrounding the melodramatic apprehension of erstwhile Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi successful June 2001 person travel into absorption again successful the aftermath of observations by a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) functionary astir the whereabouts of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin astatine the clip of the incident.

It was a information that Mr. Stalin, past Chennai Mayor, was not successful the metropolis erstwhile a squad of constabulary officials went to the Oliver Road residence of his begetter during the intervening nighttime of June 29 and 30 to apprehension him successful transportation with alleged irregularities successful the operation of 10 flyovers successful Chennai, according to a perusal of materials disposable with The Hindu archives. Mr. Stalin, whom the constabulary could not hint successful the aboriginal hours of the day, said helium had gone to Bangalore (now Bengaluru) to conscionable a relative, this paper reported connected July 1. Once helium knew the constabulary were looking for him, helium had returned to Chennai and surrendered earlier Principal Sessions Judge S. Ashok Kumar, who remanded him successful judicial custody till July 10.

Earlier, the constabulary officials, who woke Karunanidhi up from sleep, successful the words of The Hindu, “dragged him down the stairs” of the residence astatine 2 a.m. connected June 30 earlier taking him to the Crime Branch-CID headquarters, which functioned from the Omandurar Government Estate, for interrogation. After a little halt astatine the Vepery constabulary station, Karunanidhi was presented astatine the location of the Principal Sessions Judge connected Taylor’s Road, Kilpauk. Later, helium was lodged successful the Chennai Central Prison, which was past located other the Central railway presumption and connected the confederate broadside of the Buckingham Canal.

Originally, the authorities had planned to instrumentality the erstwhile Chief Minister to Vellore. As helium had squatted connected the crushed for astir fractional an hr arsenic a people of protest, this program was dropped. Others who were arrested successful transportation with the lawsuit included erstwhile Ministers Ko. Si. Mani and K. Ponmudi; erstwhile Chief Secretar K.A. Nambiar; and advisor for the flyovers task N.S. Srinivasan. Union Ministers Murasoli Maran and T.R. Baalu, who offered absorption to the police, were roughed up and aboriginal arrested, reported this paper.

In his enactment with reporters, the past main of the DMK, whose legs had swollen by the clip helium had entered the prison, gave an relationship of however the constabulary had conducted themselves astatine his residence. They “had barged into his bedroom. They did not amusement the apprehension warrant. They said it was not necessary. They pushed me, they dragged me. They tore my shirt. When we (the erstwhile DMK authorities during 1996-2001) arrested her (Jayalalithaa), we had treated her respectfully,” Karunanidhi observed then.

When the constabulary van carrying the erstwhile Chief Minister arrived astatine the Central Prison astir 7 a.m., his enactment cadres gathered successful afloat spot to protestation his arrest. When Karunanidhi walked into the jailer’s room, DMK sympathisers lined up on the Stanley viaduct span and the Canal slope adjoining the jailhouse complex, raising abusive slogans against the constabulary and the AIADMK government. The “riot” constabulary swung into enactment and lathicharged them.

It was astir 11.15 a.m. that Mr. Stalin was besides taken to the jailhouse complex. Wailing DMK men and women, who were contiguous there, asked the constabulary to apprehension them arsenic well, but they were each chased away. After keeping the past Mayor for implicit 3 hours extracurricular the situation cell, the constabulary had informed him that helium was being shifted to the Madurai Central Prison for “administrative purpose”. Instantly, helium sat successful dharna, demanding a “written statement”. After the connection was furnished, helium agreed to being shifted to Madurai.

“As the smiling Mr. Stalin left, waving to the crowds of partymen, the constabulary decided to lodge Mr. Karunanidhi successful the Chennai prison. Both the Mayor and the erstwhile Chief Minister, person not had food. Karunanidhi lone had buttermilk,” according to Durga Stalin, woman of Mr. Stalin, who wept arsenic she came retired of the situation complex.

Outrage implicit arrests

On July 1, 2001, The Hindu, successful its editorial connected the beforehand page, stated arsenic follows: “The apprehension of the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, effected successful a post-midnight cognition that brought backmost memories of the acheronian days of the Emergency, smacks of governmental vendetta and deserves to beryllium condemned successful the strongest of terms, immoderate whitethorn person been the justification for the enactment itself.”

Expectedly, the apprehension led to a immense governmental row. Even Jayalalithaa’s allies specified arsenic the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), Pattali Makkal Katchi, Congress, and the Left parties deplored the mode of the arrest.

A squad of leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by George Fernandes, visited Chennai and, wrong 24 hours, submitted to the past Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee its study connected July 2 and showing photograph clippings of the erstwhile Chief Minister successful jail.

In the meantime, Governor M. Fathima Beevi came nether occurrence from the Opposition, which had demanded her callback arsenic a measurement of “rectifying the Constitutional breakdown”. The BJP-led authorities astatine the Centre received the Governor’s study astatine astir 9 a.m. connected July 1. But the Union Cabinet recovered it “unsatisfactory” arsenic the Governor had failed “to springiness an nonsubjective and autarkic assessment” of the concern associated with and arising from the arrest, and decided to urge to the President her recall. Before it could formally convey its decision, Beevi decided to discontinue her post. In Karnataka, the State portion of the BJP had staged a objection successful Bengaluru, demanding the imposition of the President’s regularisation successful Tamil Nadu. Bus services from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu were suspended for a fewer days then.

Release connected ‘humanitarian grounds’

On the evening of July 4, the AIADMK authorities chose to escaped Karunanidhi successful the aftermath of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s bid to merchandise him connected “purely humanitarian grounds”. An authoritative merchandise said, “taking into information the precocious age” of the DMK leader, the merchandise had been ordered. “However, the lawsuit against him volition continue,” the merchandise added. Karunanidhi saw the improvement arsenic a triumph for “Tamil brethren each implicit the world”.

On the aforesaid day, Ms. Durga visited her hubby astatine the Madurai situation and spent astir an hr with him successful the introduction country aft obtaining support from the authorities. Fruits, biscuits, and mineral h2o were brought for Mr. Stalin. When told by journalists that her father-in-law was being released connected “humanitarian grounds”, she changeable back: “Where did each humanism spell erstwhile the constabulary barged into the location successful the dormant of nighttime and dragged him retired of bed? Where did each specified humanitarian gestures spell erstwhile the constabulary misbehaved with the womenfolk successful the house?”

On July 7, Mr. Stalin was released connected conditional bail this morning, and arsenic happened successful the lawsuit of his father, helium was besides fixed a tumultuous invited by hundreds of DMK volunteers. It was a substance of clip that others excessively were released. Recalling the events years later, Mr. Stalin told a Tamil tv transmission that arsenic agelong arsenic the AIADMK was successful powerfulness till 2006, not adjacent a chargesheet was filed successful the case, which, according to him, was “hollow”.