Former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was on Tuesday arrested for his alleged "double-meaning" remark alluding to popular actor Trisha and insulting her modesty.
CHENNAI — Former Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin was on Tuesday arrested for his alleged "double-meaning" remark alluding to popular actor Trisha and insulting her modesty.
He will be released on station bail after questioning, police said.
Chaotic scenes unfolded in the morning as DMK cadres gathered in large numbers outside Udhayanidhi's Neelankarai residence here to oppose the police action, and the DMK swiftly moved the Madras High Court with a petition seeking anticipatory bail.
Senior DMK leaders, including P K Sekar Babu and K N Nehru, also arrived, and police explained the reasons for the arrest to Udhayanidhi's wife Kiruthiga as well as opposition party office-bearers.
Udhayanidhi was arrested before the bail plea was taken up by the High Court, and the government submitted during the hearing that the Leader of the Opposition would be released after questioning by the Thanjavur police.
He was arrested over his alleged remark at a protest meeting held in the Cauvery delta town on Monday.
He has been booked under various sections of law, including the one relating to the use of obscene words and insulting the modesty of a woman. Party workers resorted to flash strikes across the state, and road-roko demonstrations were held, strongly condemning the arrest.
DMK president M K Stalin chaired a meeting at the party headquarters to decide on the next course of action, as the Assembly session is set to begin on August 5.
Party sources said the Madras High Court had been approached seeking anticipatory bail, and senior party leader K N Nehru said Udhayanidhi's remark had been distorted.
Udhayanidhi, who was picked up from his residence in Chennai's Neelankarai by the Thanjavur police, told reporters gathered there that "the court will decide."
"Did I mention anyone's name except the CM's? (at the protest held in Thanjavur). Then why do you think this is happening? Let the court decide," he told reporters before being escorted away by the police.
Promoting enmity, provocation with intent to cause a riot, and criminal intimidation were among the nine sections invoked against Udhayanidhi.
Provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act have also been invoked, sources added.
Police officials held talks with DMK leader Udhayanidhi's family and senior party leader Ma Subramanian before arresting the Leader of the Opposition.
Even as a large number of party workers gathered outside Udhayanidhi's residence and raised slogans condemning the police action against their leader, senior police officials held talks.
TVK escalated its protest against Udhayanidhi's alleged offensive remark by filing complaints with the local police and the National Commission for Women.
A police complaint was lodged at the Thanjavur East Police Station by S Bairavi, TVK's Central District Women's Wing organiser for Thanjavur.
The complaint alleged that when the crowd chanted "Trisha, Trisha" during the Leader of the Opposition's speech on the Cauvery issue on August 3, he responded with an obscene, double-meaning remark.
The complainant accused him and DMK IT wing office-bearers of intentionally degrading women, causing "mental agony" to the actor and women in general, and deliberately circulating a 2-minute, 39-second video of the incident on the social media platform X to cause public unrest.
Simultaneously, TVK national spokesperson Pazha Selvakumar lodged a formal complaint with the NCW in New Delhi.
The party urged the Commission to issue a notice seeking an explanation and demand an unconditional public apology from Udhayanidhi.
Reacting strongly to Udhayanidhi's arrest, DMK cadres staged protests across the state, while political leaders, including DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakant and AIADMK Deputy General Secretary K P Munusamy, criticised the government's action.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar questioned Udhayanidhi's fundamental eligibility to hold public office.
Addressing the media here, Kumar stated that the mindset displayed by the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly is "completely unacceptable" for public office.
DMK President M K Stalin launched a scathing attack on the TVK government, accusing it of "arrogance" and hitting out at the alleged high-handedness in the arrest of Udhayanidhi.
Stalin alleged that police "arrogantly" took custody of Udhayanidhi from his Chennai residence and transported him to Thanjavur "under non-bailable charges to prevent him from attending the upcoming Assembly budget session".
He claimed that the government tried to cover up its setback in court after public outrage forced its lawyers to state that there was no intention to formally arrest him.
While the ruling TVK staged protests demanding action against Udhayanidhi, the main opposition DMK held demonstrations condemning his arrest.