Ex-DMK minister Arumugam arrested in land grabbing case

Salem: Tamil Nadu former minister and senior DMK leader Veerapandi S Arumugam was on Saturday arrested by the city police in connection with a fresh land grabbing case. [caption id=“attachment_50961” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“DMK president M Karunanidhi had on Friday slammed the Jayalalithaa government of taking vengeance on party leaders by foisting “false” cases. Babu/Reuters”]  [/caption] Arumugam, granted conditional anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court in two land grabbing cases, was arrested by the City Crime Branch (CCB) police when he appeared before it this morning as per the bail conditions, the police said. A strongman of the DMK in the Salem region, Arumugam was produced before a magistrate court here which remanded him to 15 days judicial custody. He is being lodged in the Coimbatore central prison. The latest cases pertains to a complaint alleging land grabbing in Naraswathipatti locality in the city, the police said. The Salem Judicial Magistrate court had enlarged Arumugam on bail on July 27 at the end of his three-day custodial interrogation by the CCB police in connection with the earlier cases relating to land grabbing in Angammal Colony and Premier Flour mills. Earlier, the high court had directed Arumugam to surrender before the CCB police for custodial interrogation. The magistrate court had then released him on bail on the condition that he should appear before the CCB police at 8 am every day until further orders. DMK president M Karunanidhi had on Friday slammed the Jayalalithaa government of taking vengeance on party leaders by foisting “false” cases. He had specifically mentioned Arumugam, saying the police interrogated him for three days even though the leader was recuperating after some medical treatment. Karunanidhi’s son and Union minister M K Alagiri had called on Arumugam on Thursday and enquired about his health. As news about Arumugam’s arrest spread, some persons indulged in violence in some areas of the city and pelted stones at a few buses protesting against the police action. The police said window panes of some buses were damaged in the stone pelting near Fair Lands police station. Police pickets have been posted throughout the district and Armed Reserve Police personnel are on patrol, they said. Salem Police Commissioner Chokkalingam told PTI that Arumugam was arrested in the case registered in Annathanapatti Police Station on a land grabbing complaint. He said this was the third case registered against Arumugam. PTI