The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Police action gives credibility to democracy'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Police action gives credibility to democracy'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, NOV.12 .The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary, Vaiko, today commended the police on the arrest of the Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Mutt, Jayendra Saraswathi, in a murder case.

In a statement here, he said: "The police action gives credibility to the concept of democracy that all are equal before law and nobody, whatever position the person occupies is above law."

The parties in the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) under the leadership of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had announced an agitation demanding immediate action against the culprits who committed the heinous crime, he recalled.

The State CPI (M) secretary, N.Varadarajan, said in a statement here that the party adopted a resolution at its State Committee meeting urging that the Government should ensure that all were equal before law and there was no discrimination against persons who indulged in criminal actions, irrespective of their social status.

Give details: PMK

The Pattali Makkal Katchi founder, S.Ramadoss, said that the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, should come out with a detailed statement on the arrest of the mutt head, as she had done in a few other sensitive cases.

The entire country was anxious to know about the details of the case in view of "serious charges" against the acharya, the alleged involvement of a hired gang to commit the murder and the use of a special aircraft to bring the mutt head from Hyderabad to Chennai.

Welcoming the arrest of the Sankaracharya, the Dravidar Kazhagam president, K.Veeramani, commended the Chief Minister, the police department, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, leaders of the constituents of the DPA and the media "who were responsible for the action."

The Tamil Maanila Muslim League president, M.Sheik Dawood, commended the "fairness" shown by the State Government in taking action againt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, despite the fact that he was a mutt head.

Hasty: BJP

The All-India general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, L. Ganesan, said, the police had acted rather hastily in arresting the acharya, given the fact that the Mutt head had made his position clear that he would make himself available for any interrogation in the case.

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