Udhayanidhi Stalin held for controversial comment, released on bail after 10 hrs

Udhayanidhi was taken into custody by a police team from his residence in Chennai on Tuesday morning and taken to Thanjavur,

Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested by the police for over 10 hours, taken from Chennai to Thanjavur and booked for insulting the modesty of a woman, obscenity and criminal intimidation, among others, over an obscene remark apparently aimed at actor Trisha Krishnan a day before.

In a day packed with high drama, Udhayanidhi was arrested from his residence in Chennai at 10am and taken to Thanjavur, where he had made the controversial comment at a rally on Monday. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) hit the streets and approached the Madras high court, where the state government clarified that Udhayanidhi would be released “today itself”.

In the evening, Udhayanidhi was taken to the Sengipatti police station after huge crowds gathered in Thanjavur – roughly 350km from state capital Chennai, he was quizzed for more than an hour.

At around 8pm, he was released on station bail, and returned to Chennai around midnight.

“They arrested me for nothing. I have not said anything wrong. I have not said anything wrong against anybody,” he said. The 49-year-old leader stood atop a vehicle and greeted supporters late into the evening at Sengipatti in a show of strength by the DMK.

“With 3,000 police personnel, they took us by road from Chennai to Thanjavur like a terrorist,” he said, dismissing the allegation that he made offensive comments.

“They cut, copied, and pasted my speech to claim I spoke inappropriately. Some have accused me of using double meaning. I spoke with only a single meaning: the farmers need water. I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting women,” he said.

“Everybody agrees that it was an obscene remark, and that too from a very senior leader. So, definitely the government has a responsibility to ensure that no one can escape the rule of law after committing such a despicable crime. That is why this government has taken very firm action on that,” said Tamil Nadu minister KG Arunraj.

The over 10 hours between his morning arrest and evening release represent the first major political face-off in Tamil Nadu since C Joseph Vijay’s shock victory in the assembly elections this summer. The row also saw the DMK, somewhat listless after it lost allies to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), rally behind the former deputy chief minister. The developments came a day before the budget session of the assembly.

The controversy began on Monday when Udhayanidhi was speaking at a rally meant to press the state government on the Cauvery water sharing – a century-old irritant in relations between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. As the crowd chanted the name of Trisha – a friend of the chief minister – Udhayanidhi made an obscene remark.

Hours later, Sengipatti police in Thanjavur east registered a case against Udhayanidhi on a complaint filed by local TVK functionary Bairavi.

He was booked under sections 196 (promoting enmity, hatred among two groups), 192 (punishes the act of wantonly or malignantly giving illegal provocation to cause a riot), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace), 79 (punishes any word gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 296 (b) (Penalises singing, reciting or uttering any obscene song in public place), 61(agree to do an illegal act or by illegal methods), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, section 4 of the TN Prohibition of Harassment of Woman (Amendment) Act, 2002 (which specifies the penalty for harassing women), and section 67 (punishes anyone who publishes or transmits obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Around 8.30am on Tuesday, senior police officers arrived at his Neelankarai residence in Chennai.

“Did I mention anyone’s name except the CM’s? Then why do you think this is happening? Let the court decide,” he told reporters before being escorted away by the police.

As the news spread, hundreds of DMK workers crowded the road leading to his residence. Senior DMK functionaries reached his residence and tried to prevent the police. At around 10.40am, the police convoy left Chennai for Thanjavur.

“They have arrested me. I am not worried. I am ready to face the consequences. Let us wait and see,” Udhayanidhi said.

Around 10.30am, Udhayanidhi’s legal team approached the high court with an urgent anticipatory bail petition. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan recorded the submission of advocate general Vijay Narayan that though Udhayanidhi was detained and taken to Thanjavur, the state did not intend to remand him. The AG submitted that the state only intended to question Udhayanidhi and release him on station bail.