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Amid the relief operations, allegations have emerged of organisations and volunteers being threatened by AIADMK members, who are forcefully pasting Chief Minister and party leader J Jayalalithaa’s stickers on relief material.
After the issue was taken up by volunteers on social media, the AIADMK issued a statement promising action against cadre if they are identified. A senior party functionary also said volunteers can inform the party headquarters via email or phone. “Otherwise, we request them to inform the police. We will never endorse such acts during a disaster,” he said.
Read full coverage of Chennai floods
However, several teams bringing relief material from Bengaluru and other cities continued to report incidents of their vehicles being stopped. For instance, a group bringing medicines from Bengaluru alleged it was stopped on Saturday evening by AIADMK men on the highway and stickers of the CM were pasted on relief material.
In another incident, a truck with water bottles, sent by a company from Bengaluru, was stopped by party men. “We were asked to pay Rs 5 per bottle if we didn’t want to put Amma stickers. We had to pay the amount,” said a company employee.
Read | Sleepless in Chennai night, residents find home under flyovers, in flooded shelters
On Friday, police in Cuddalore had to chase away AIADMK and PMK men after they tried to claim ownership of relief material brought from Coimbatore.
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