The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : CBI takes over investigation into <I>Dinakaran</I> attack case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

CBI takes over investigation into Dinakaran attack case

S. Vijay Kumar

Sleuths of the CBI's Special Crimes Branch visit the newspaper's office

PROBE BEGINS: T.S.C. Bose, Superintendent of Police, Special Crimes Branch, Central Bureau of Investigation (second from left), with other officers inspecting the Dinakaran newspaper office in Madurai on Saturday. — Photo: K. Ganesan

MADURAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday took over the investigation of the case relating to the attack on Dinakaran.

Sleuths of the CBI's Special Crimes Branch, led by Superintendent of Police T.S.C. Bose, met senior police officers here and took over the investigation from the Madurai district police.

They visited the Dinakaran office on the Madurai-Melur national highway where they met News Editor A. Muthupandian to know the circumstances that led to the violence. The team inspected the office premises.

The case pertains to the attack on Dinakaran, the Tamil daily, on May 9 hours after the newspaper published results of a survey on who would be the political successor of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Angry supporters of M.K. Azhagiri, elder son of Mr. Karunanidhi, burnt copies of the newspaper. Another group, allegedly led by `Attack' Pandi, hurled petrol bombs and set fire to the building housing the offices of Dinakaran, Sun TV and Tamil Murasu. Three employees were killed in the incident. The Madurai police came under sharp criticism for not preventing the attack even though a strong posse of police personnel had been deployed at the office in anticipation of violence. Video footage and pictures were published by the media showing policemen witnessing the violent attack. Director General of Police D. Mukherjee later admitted dereliction of duty by the police and ordered a probe by a senior police official.

Other incidents

The Monitoring and Action Committee of Human Rights Defenders - Tamil Nadu has urged the CBI to consider the complaint of Mr. Muthupandian while re-registering the case. One of the committee members, Henri Tiphagne of Peoples Watch, said the investigators should take over all cases of violent incidents reported in Madurai on May 9 since the attack on the newspaper office was a culmination of a series of agitations. He demanded the suspension of the Madurai SP, the Oomachikulam DSP and all the police personnel present at the time of attack.

Mr. Tiphagne said the committee would move the Supreme Court to seek the cancellation of bail granted to Mr. Azhagiri in the Kiruttinan murder case. The police should arrest Mr. Azhagiri, Madurai Mayor G. Thenmozhi, and the former Mayor, P. Kulandaivelu, he demanded.

The activists would initiate contempt proceedings against the State Government for not implementing the guidelines of the apex court on police reforms. A demonstration would be held in Madurai on May 31, in which Arundhati Roy, Kuldip Nayar and P. Nedumaran were likely to participate, he added.

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