Tirupur: Tension prevailed in Dharapuram after AIADMK Tirupur suburban district secretary Selvakumaran was summoned by police for questioning him in connection with an alleged ₹70 lakh cash movement. Police shut the gates of the Dharapuram station after more than 500 AIADMK cadres gathered there.
Police sources said a man identified as Subramani had been detained for inquiry on suspicion that ₹70 lakh in cash had been transported in a car from the Salem region to the Dharapuram area. He warned that if those held were not released, the chief minister’s planned roadshow in Dharapuram would be affected.
Police summoned Selvakumaran to the station for questioning after Subramani told them that the former had instructed him to bring the cash. Earlier, former minister R B Udhayakumar told reporters at the police station that the district secretary had been “confined” for nearly four hours under the guise of an inquiry based on a “false complaint. He alleged abuse of power and claimed that the police station had been “shut” amid the protest. He said the party was ready to face any inquiry.
Dharapuram town secretary Rajendran was also summoned to the police station and questioned. Following this, AIADMK cadres accused police of foisting a false case and staged a protest by laying siege to the Dharapuram police station. They held a road blockade on the Dharapuram–Karur road, escalating the standoff. Amid the developments, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran , who was in Dharapuram for campaign outreach, arrived at the police station.