Suspend policemen: Karunanidhi

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 10. The DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, today demanded immediate suspension of the police officials involved in the June 29 and 30 incidents.

The legal wing of the party, on its part, would work out the modalities for initiating legal action against the police officials, Mr. Karunanidhi told newsmen here. He was not ready to set any timeframe for the Centre to take follow-up action on its directives to the State Government and would like to wait for some time.

Justifying the party's decision to boycott the one-man commission appointed by the State Government to probe the allegations against the police officials, the DMK leader questioned the need for the panel when the whole world knew what had happened that `fateful' night.

While the party was not suspecting the `credibility' of the former High Court judge, Mr. A. Raman, it was against the appointment of the commission itself. ``There is no need to investigate the obvious''.

Coming down heavily on the AIADMK allies, Mr. Karunanidhi said as long as there were leaders `blindly supporting the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa's illegal actions, including ``vindictive arrests of Opposition leaders without any enquiry'', she would continue to behave like this only.

Asked whether he was for the dissolution of the Assembly, Mr.Karunanidhi said it was for the people to decide as the elections were completed only two months ago. However, if the `despotic and autocratic' rule continued, it would be for the Centre to take appropriate action.

Alleging that an emergency-like situation was prevailing in the State, Mr.Karunanidhi regretted that officials who acted in a fair and non-partisan manner while processing her nomination papers in the last Assembly election were penalised and kept waiting by the AIADMK Government. ``Unfortunately, leaders who claim to be the champions of democracy and human rights are keeping silent''.

Referring to the State Government's move to supersede the Chennai Corporation, Mr.Karunanidhi said there was no rationale behind the action. While it vehemently opposed a demand for dissolution of the Assembly, the Government was trying to supersede a duly- elected council. The Mayor, Mr. M. K. Stalin, had convened the council meeting for tomorrow and would reply to the Government's charges, he added.

`A diversionary tactic'

Earlier in a statement the DMK leader explained the reason for the party's decision to boycott the enquiry commission. The setting up of the commission, he said, was a diversionary tactic by the State, which had flouted the Centre's instructions.

`` How could the party participate in the commission proceedings when State Ministers were openly supporting the `guilty' police officials, besides hurling baseless allegations at the Central Ministers and issuing an arrest threat to the Prime Minister himself''?.

Mr. Karunanidhi said the issue should not be viewed as one affecting a DMK leader but as one affecting a citizen, who had been denied even basic human rights. ``It should be approached from the protection of human rights angle.''

Describing his arrest as violation of the Article 21 and 22(1) of the Constitution, he quoted a portion of a 1994 Supreme Court verdict which stated: ...`` a person is not liable to arrest merely on suspicion of complicity in an offence. There is a right for the arrested person to have someone informed and to consult privately with a lawyer''.

Following the SC order, he said, the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, in his circulars in August 1997 and October 1999 gave instructions to his subordinates that the directives be strictly followed while arresting a person without a court order.

Instead of penalising the police officials for `blatantly' violating the SC order and the DGP's circulars, the Government appointed a commission, `which was nothing but a diversionary tactic set up with a `mala fide intention'.

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