Sedition case against Dhinakaran for anti-government pamphlets: police

Salem: A case of sedition has been filed against sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran and 15 of his supporters for allegedly distributing pamphlets attacking the ruling Tamil Nadu government led by Chief Minister E Palanisamy. 

The Salem police said, the pamphlets also attempted to mobilise the people against the state government.

The case was filed following a complaint by one Vinayakam, alleging that the men were distributing the pamphlets outside a hall where Chief Minister Palanisamy was holding a meeting with senior officials on Sunday. 

The pamphlets also contained "derogatory remarks" against the Prime Mminister, the police said.

Dhinakaran and his loyalists P Vetrivel, one of the 18 AIADMK MLAs recently disqualified from the Tamil Nadu Assembly under the anti-defection law, and V Pugazhenthi have also been named as accused in the case, the police said.

This is the second case slapped against Dhinakaran, who is engaged in a tussle for power with Palanisamy, by the state police.

Earlier, the sidelined AIADMK leader, along with Tamil actor and party functionary Senthil, had been booked for allegedly making defamatory remarks against P Kumar, the party MP from Tiruchirappalli.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had restrained the Tiruchirappalli police from arresting them.

Responding to the latest case against him, Dhinakaran alleged that it was filed since his rival Palanisamy "is the police minister".

The chief minister also holds the Home portfolio, under which comes the police department.

"This government is anyway going to fall. They are doing such these things since he (Palanisamy) is the police minister...Let them do what they want. The AIADMK supporters and the people are going to send them home," Dhinakaran told reporters in Chennai.

With inputs from PTI.