DMK demands immediate action against police officers

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 29. In a ``comprehensive response'' to the ``brutal'' arrest of the DMK president, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, and others on June 30, the party's general council today demanded that the Centre ``immediately take action'' against all the ``erring'' police officers involved in the arrest episode.

A key political resolution adopted at the meeting, moved by the DMK treasurer, Mr. Arcot N. Veeraswami, who came in a wheel-chair after his recent hip surgery, strongly condemned the ``inhuman, high-handed and barbaric'' arrest of Mr. Karunanidhi by the AIADMK regime, which had ``shocked'' the entire nation.

Charging the Jayalalithaa regime with effecting the arrest on a ``hastily prepared false case,'' the DMK expressed deep pain at the manner in which Mr. Karunanidhi, who had been Chief Minister for 14 years, was arrested ``in violation'' of the Supreme Court arrest guidelines. It was ``reprehensible'' that the police officers involved were being ``shielded.''

The party also came down heavily on the ``assault'' and arrests of the two Union Ministers, Mr. Murasoli Maran and Mr. T.R. Baalu, that day, and the ``unauthorised raid'' in Mr. Maran's house.

It ``wholeheartedly thanked'' the leaders of all the political parties, right across the spectrum, from the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, to the TMC president, Mr. G.K. Moopanar, and the Left party leaders, who had condemned Mr. Karunanidhi's arrest, and urged the State Government to release the remaining DMK cadres who were still languishing in various prisons. Over 50,000 DMK functionaries and members were arrested that day throughout the State, the party claimed.

Taking a serious view of the AIADMK Government's ``continuing politics of vendetta,'' in another political resolution, the DMK referred to the ``deliberate foisting of cases'' on charges of heroin possession against those found undesirable by the ruling party.

If this ``despotic approach of summarily arresting people on vague complaints and then looking for serious offences against them'' was not given up by the AIADMK Government, then ``people would rise in an upsurge,'' the DMK warned. Attempts to curb press freedom smacked of a ``dictatorial attitude.''

In another resolution, the DMK hailed Mr. Vajpayee's efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan and his declaration that talks would continue for resolving long-pending issues though the Agra summit did not yield any result.

In two water-related resolutions, the DMK called for greater diligence on the State Government's part in managing the water flows from the Mettur reservoir as the present storage had dwindled to 31 tmcft, causing apprehension among the Cauvery delta farmers. The ``mishandling'' of the water scarcity in Chennai was condemnable, it said and wanted efforts to be redoubled for getting more Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh.

Taking strong exception to the ``ruckus'' allegedly created by some of the AIADMK's allies in the various local bodies against the ruling DMK and the stalling of proceedings, the party was highly critical of moves to get the Chennai Corporation dissolved, when its Mayor, Mr. M.K. Stalin, ``had done everything possible in the last five years to make Chennai a better place to live in.''

Preparing a fresh electoral roll for conducting the local bodies polls, reinstating the `Makkal Nala Paniyalargal', revoking the roll-back in the milk procurement price for farmers and payment of sugarcane arrears to farmers, were among the other 18 resolutions adopted by the DMK.

The general council also decried phasing out of the `Uzhavar Sandhais.' The meeting first condoled the death of the thespian, Sivaji Ganesan, and the Samajwadi party MP, Phoolan Devi.

Mr. Karunanidhi announced a solatium of Rs. 50,000 each to the families of 66 persons who died of ``shock'' in the aftermath of his arrest.

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