DMK chief146;s son held for murder

M.K. Azhagiri, son of DMK president M. Karunanidhi, was arrested early this morning in connection with the murder of former DMK minister T. ...

M.K. Azhagiri, son of DMK president M. Karunanidhi, was arrested early this morning in connection with the murder of former DMK minister T. Kiruttinan, within 24 hours of the murder.

A police team, led by Commissioner P. Kandasamy, went to Azhagiri8217;s house in Sathyasayee Nagar here at 4.30 a.m., arrested him and took him to Tallakulam police station. Later he was produced before Magistrate Vanitha at her residence. She remanded him to judicial custody till June 4. His associate Tirupathur Sivaraman was also arrested. Azhagiri told reporters that his arrest was politically motivated.

8216;It was Azhagiri and his men8217;

Express News Service
Madurai, May 21

Padmavathi, widow of senior DMK leader T. Kiruttinan, has blamed M.K. Azhagiri and his men for her husband8217;s murder. In her statement to police, she said the murder was pre-planned and had a political motive.

8216;8216;My husband, a known supporter of M.K. Stalin, was in charge of finalising the candidates list for party polls, but this was not liked by Azhagiri and his men. On Monday night, he told me that Azhagiri8217;s men had threatened him with dire consequences and even urged him to keep away.8217;8217;

Police also recorded similar statements from Kiruttinan8217;s brother Ramaiah and his son Chezhian. The statements were filed in the court on Wednesday.

Azhagiri8217;s arrest has, however, put the party in a tight spot in Madurai and adjoining districts. Stalin controls DMK units in the other southern districts of Tiruchi, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

In Chennai, DMK president M. Karunanidhi today refused to defend his son M.K. Azhagiri, who has been arrested in connection with the murder of former DMK minister T. Kiruttinan.

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While he implied that CM J. Jayalalithaa was trying to take advantage of such incidents to harm the DMK, Karunanidhi asserted that at no stage would he plead Azhagiri8217;s innocence or charge directly that the AIADMK government was persecuting him.

He denied that there was any 8216;8216;misunderstanding8217;8217; between Azhagiri and his other son M.K. Stalin. 8216;8216;Now, there is no problem between the two. They have buried their differences and I have written about it in Murasoli myself,8217;8217; he said.

He told reporters: 8216;8216;Don8217;t imagine anything is going wrong.8217;8217;