Chennai:
Former DMK Minister for Health & Backward Classes KKSSR Ramachandran has been arrested by the Virudhnagar Police for his alleged role in covering up a murder by a party functionary in 2010 when the DMK was in power. Ramachandran had landed at the Madurai Airport at 3.30 pm and his vehicle was followed by a police party which made the arrest as soon as he reached Virudhnagar district.
Two years ago, a postman Lakshmanan had been hit on the head and then run over by a car in Virudhnagar district allegedly driven by Shahul Hamid, a local DMK functionary. Police sources say the motive stemmed from an illicit relationship Hamid had with the wife of the deceased. Using his clout, the former Minister, known to be a Stalin loyalist, had allegedly shielded his partyman by influencing the local cops to cover up the murder by converting a murder case into a mere "death under mysterious circumstances".
With the AIADMK in the saddle, the Virudhnagar Police reopened the case last month. During interrogation, Hamid spilled the beans, leading to the action against the former DMK Minister. "We have registered cases under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for destruction of evidence and under Section 120 (b) for criminal conspiracy with the murder accused ", Virudhnagar Superintendent Najmul Hoda told NDTV.
All along it has been land grabbing cases that a sizeable chunk of former Ministers had been slapped with. DMK sources insist that such cases are foisted and that the party's legal wing will file petitions in the High Court to quash them. The Madras High Court recently quashed a land grabbing complaint against DMK treasurer and Karunanidhi's son M.K.Stalin following an out of court settlement between the parties. AIADMK insiders say this case was a reflection of the interference in administration during the previous regime.