This Article is From Oct 25, 2023

Man Tries To Throw Petrol Bomb At Tamil Nadu Governor's House, Arrested

The man had earlier tried to do the same thing outside a BJP office in Chennai.

A police official said the man will be sent for an examination of his mental health.

Chennai:

A man has been arrested for attempting to throw a petrol bomb at a gate of the Raj Bhavan in Chennai. The man had tried to do the same thing outside a BJP office in the city a few months ago.

Officials said the incident took place around 2.45 pm on Wednesday and the man attempted to throw the bomb near the Raj Bhavan's main gate, which is used by Governor RN Ravi.

"The man, identified as one Vinod, will be sent for an examination of his mental health," a senior police officer told NDTV. Chennai Commissioner of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore said he has been arrested.

The incident comes in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu governor returning, for the second time, a state government file recommending former director general of police C Sylendra Babu's appointment as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.

When the recommendation was sent for the first time, soon after Mr Babu's retirement at the end of June, Mr Ravi had questioned the criteria for his selection as well as those of other candidates for the post, and asked whether Supreme Court guidelines had been followed. 

The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government had denied that any guidelines had been violated and pointed out that the Governor has no prerogative in such matters and has to abide by the recommendations of the elected government. 

Tensions have been high between the MK Stalin government and Mr Ravi since January, when the governor skipped portions of text during his customary address to the state Assembly. There have been other flashpoints since then as well, including when the governor allegedly suggested changing the name of the state to 'Tamilagam'.

The DMK government has alleged that Mr Ravi behaves like an agent of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Singh (RSS) and the BJP. 

A few days ago, the governor had also launched a veiled attack on the state government, saying, "Several national freedom fighters and martyrs from Tamil Nadu have been reduced to caste leaders in pursuance of a political conspiracy to promote a British Dravidian narrative". This had triggered a strong response from the DMK.

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