Chennai:
A first information report (FIR) has been registered against DMK chief M Karunanidhi's younger son MK Stalin and Chennai is abuzz with speculation that he could be arrested. Mr Stalin, who is a former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has been accused of coercing a man to sell his property in a prime Chennai locality to a member of his family at a reduced price.
Mr Stalin's son Udhayanidhi and four others have been named in the FIR too. It was registered on a complaint by a man, N S Kumar, on November 29, alleging that one of Mr Stalin's aides had forced him to sell his property at Chittaranjan Das Road in the Teynampet area, after getting his tenants to vacate the premises under threat, the police said.
Mr Stalin has denied this. He said it was a false case and he would fight it legally. "To divert people's attention from the price rise issue and case against Jayalalithaa, a false case has been foisted against me. I was expecting this false case. It's a bit delayed, so I am not surprised. I am ready to face the case with strength and bravery. I am not seeking exemptions like Jayalalithaa. For this government, FIR is not First Information Report, but Fraud Information Report. I am waiting to face the case," the DMK leader said.
The police said NS Kumar had alleged that he was forced to sell the property for Rs 5.54 crore, which he claimed was lower than the market value, though he did not say what the price he expected was. Acting on the complaint, the Central Crime Branch registered a case against Mr Stalin, Mr Udhayanidhi and P Venugopalreddy, Raja Shankar, Subbareddy and Srinivas under various IPC sections including 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Several senior DMK leaders have been put behind bars recently on land grab charges; the DMK has called it political vendetta. But Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has defended these arrests saying they are based on genuine complaints.