Stalin and DMK responsible for jallikattu protest violence in Chennai, should apologise: M Natarajan

Chennai: M Natarajan, husband of AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, has alleged that opposition leader and DMK working president M K Stalin and his party are behind the violence in Chennai last Monday. He also demanded that Stalin should "take responsibility and apologise" for the violence.

On January 23rd, after police started evicting pro-jallikattu protesters from Marina beach, a group of protesters set Ice House police station on fire, and protesters clashed with police in many parts of the city.

On Monday morning, TN Governor C Vidyasagar Rao addressed the state assembly. That evening, the bill to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 to make jallikattu a permanent sport in the state was passed by the state assembly unanimously in a special session, replacing an ordinance promulgated on January 21.

On Sunday, speaking to reporters in Pudukottai, Natarajan alleged that the DMK had hatched a plan to prevent the Governor from reaching the Secretariat on January 23rd morning, and to show black flags on his route to the Secretariat. Natarajan said the police, who found out about the plan, tried to prevent it by asking the protesters to disperse. He alleged that that is when "they started pelting the cops with stones" and set fire to things and "set the police station on fire."

"Will the cops set fire to a police station?" he asked.

He added that the protests had been peaceful for six days with no untoward events, till "they" (DMK) "sent in certain people". The students, he said, had protested in a disciplined and united manner but the violence was the "mistake of Stalin, who wanted to bring politics into it", he alleged. He said Stalin and the DMK "instigated the students, causing a situation which gave a bad name to students" also sent miscreants into the crowd.

He claimed he has proof for his allegations, and urged the state government to take action against DMK and other groups responsible for the violence.