Karate Thyagarajan's asks EC to restore security

Chennai, Apr 15 (UNI) Chennai Corporation Deputy Mayor 'Karate' R Thyagarajan today alleged the ruling AIADMK was planning to prevent him from electioneering by arresting him under false pretexts and requested the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to direct the City Police Commissioner to restore his personal security.

In a letter to the CEC, a copy of which was made available to the media, Mr Thiagarajan, who returned here on April 13 after 'self imposed exile' of seven months, said he was forced to stay away for fear that Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and senior AIADMK leaders would to remove him from office and harm him physically.

He said when he fled, fearing for his life, special police teams were formed and efforts made to arrest him by foisting cases.

After he became Deputy Mayor, he had been provided with an armed security guard, both at office and home, but it was removed after he was expelled from the AIADMK owing to political animosity, he alleged.

Mr Thyagarajan said he had reliably come to understand that the City Police Commissioner had been instructed to create problems during his election tour, arrest him on some pretext and foist cases.

''Entire official machinery is being forced to take some punitive action to threaten me, so that I am unable to attend election work and campaign for the DMK-Congress front. The police and state machinery are being misused to harm me through false cases and cause physical harm to me and members of my family.'' UNI WS AA PR RN1518