Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
“He’s in the toilet. Please allow some time,” Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin’s wife, Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, is heard telling police officers in a video that has surfaced from inside the DMK leader’s Chennai residence, moments before he was taken into police custody on Tuesday in connection with his controversial ‘Trisha’ remarks at a party protest over the Cauvery water dispute.
advertisement
The footage captures a brief exchange between Kiruthiga, police officials and Tamil Nadu minister Ma Subramaniam as the officers wait to meet Udhayanidhi before taking him into custody.
The footage captures police officers waiting inside the residence as they seek to meet Udhayanidhi before taking him into custody. “We have been waiting for a long time. I am not doing anything unlawful here,” one police officer is heard saying, insisting that the team was only carrying out its duty.
Responding to the officers, Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, a filmmaker and writer in Tamil cinema, told them that her husband is still getting ready. “He’s in the toilet. Please allow some time,” she says, requesting the police to wait a little longer before meeting him.
Tamil Nadu minister Ma Subramaniam, who was present at the residence, also appealed to the officers for more time, arguing that delaying the custody by a few minutes would make little difference.
“There will be some backlash from the public if you take him at 9.30 am or 10.30 am, same at 11. As time goes, there will be a crowd,” Subramaniam said.
The officer, however, reiterates that the police cannot keep waiting indefinitely. “We cannot afford to wait longer. How long can we wait? He’s been saying 10 minutes, 10 minutes. It’s our job. We will not violate the law. If you point out that we’re violating the law, then I’ll agree. When that’s not there, you should allow us to do our job,” the police officer said.
Subramaniam continues to press for a short delay, saying, “Let him come out of the bathroom. Please wait for 10 minutes. Advocate Saravanan will also be here meanwhile.”
Subramaniam further argues that Udhayanidhi was being taken to Thanjavur, a journey of nearly eight hours, and should be allowed to complete his morning routine before leaving. The officer again responds by asking, “Am I violating the law?”
The police action follows Udhayanidhi’s speech at a DMK-led protest in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur on August 3 over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute. During the rally, he made a double-meaning remark after sections of the crowd repeatedly chanted actor Trisha’s name, triggering widespread political outrage and multiple complaints.
Tamil Nadu Police have registered an FIR against Udhayanidhi under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to insulting the modesty of a woman, intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
The FIR also invokes Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act for allegedly transmitting obscene material electronically.
The controversy has intensified the political battle in the state, with the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, approaching the National Commission for Women (NCW) seeking action against the DMK leader.
While the BJP and TVK have accused Udhayanidhi of insulting women, the DMK has dismissed the criticism as a politically motivated attempt to shift attention away from the Cauvery issue and target the opposition ahead of the Assembly session.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
