No political interference in functioning of police: Tamil Nadu CM

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday said the incidents of crime had come down in the state and the state is being maintained as a haven of peace without any caste, religious or political clashes.

Replying to the discussion on demand for grants to the police department, the Chief Minister said the police department is taking stern action on goondas, anti-social elements and criminals to maintain the law and order situation and asserted that there is no political interference in the functioning of police.

He said the opposition parties are magnifying minor issues and holding protests instead of bringing the issues to the government attention to solve the problem.

The police are keeping an eye on the activities of banned fundamental outfits, taking the required precautionary measures and preventing terrorist activities, he said. The CM said steps are being taken to fill the existing vacancies in the police department.

He said the incidents of crime had come down in the last six years and came out with the crime statistics to prove his point. The number of murders had come down by 11.9 per cent and robberies by 7.5 per cent in the last six years after the AIADMK assumed power.

Citing the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, the Chief Minister compared the crimes in other states and said the number of crimes in Tamil Nadu are lesser. The number of property-related criminal cases in Maharashtra in the year 2015 is 87,329 and 60,144 in Uttar Pradesh. The number of crimes is 43,163 in Madhya Pradesh, 36,664 in Rajasthan, 29,105 in Bihar, he said.

Besides, the number of such cases in Karnataka is 29,463 and added that it is 28,493 in Haryana, 22,388 in West Bengal, 20,219, 19,661 in Gujarat and 19,170 in Andhra Pradesh, he said. In the same year, according to the Bureau of Statistics, the number of criminal cases in Tamil Nadu is 18,263, the Chief Minister added. The crime rate in Tamil Nadu is 26.4 per cent which is 14 points less than the national average of 40.4 per cent, Palaniswami said.

He also said crimes against women had come down since all the complaints in such cases are being registered and action taken. The average number of cases related to women per year during the DMK regime was 2,941, while it is 2,727 during the last six years.

CM’s remarks on anti-liquor protests expunged

Chief Minister Palaniswami’s remarks on anti-liquor protests was expunged from Assembly records, following stiff opposition by Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin who raised the issue on Saturday.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, he said the particular remarks had demeaned people’s protests and requested Speaker P. Dhanapal to expunge the remarks from the Assembly records. Accepting the demand, the Speaker said the remarks had been expunged with the consent of the CM.

Palaniswami had flayed the anti-liquor protests in Tirupur during the discussion on the police demand on Friday. After the Chief Minister's remarks were expunged, Stalin raised te issue of enquiry commission on the violent incidents at the conclusion of jallikattu protests, Stalin said the GO to set up the commission had stated that the report would be submitted in three months, but it had not been done despite the passing of another three months.