MK son's loyalists on rampage; Daily office burnt

Madurai, May 9: Two employees of a popular Tamil newspaper were killed and four swooned when a mob comprising the loyalists of Mr M K Azhagiri, Madurai-based son of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, ransacked and set afire the daily office today, protesting the publication of a report based on a survey on the line of succession in the DMK.

According to the survey, the Chief Minister's second son and state Minister M K Stalin was way ahead of all others in popularity, while Mr Azhagiri, the elder son was at the bottom of the list.

The victims were identified as Gopinath (24) and Vinodh Kumar (25), both service engineers. The four who fell unconscious, including Gopi, a cameraman of Sun TV, were admitted to a nearby corporate hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, more than 100 people, led by DMK Volunteers Wing district Convener 'Attack' Pandi and armed with crude weapons like sickles and wooden logs, arrived on the scene and started ransacking the complex. They hurled petrol bombs, besides setting on fire the machinery with petrol.

Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was put out within hours. However, the flames destroyed the whole range of machinery at the complex. Three vehicles of the employees, parked inside the complex, were also burnt in the incident.

District Collector S S Jawahar, City Police Commissioner A Subramanian, Superintendent of Police T S Anbu and other officials have visited the spot. DMK functionaries and supporters of Mr Azhagiri went on a rampage and burnt copies of the daily at many places in the city. Seven State-owned buses were damaged by irate supporters who brought vehicular traffic to a grinding halt on the arterial Azhagarkoil road and important junctions.

City Mayor Thenmozhi Gopinathan, a known Azhagiri loyalist, staged a demonstration near the busy Periyar bus stand area, where a city bus was damaged.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters here, Mr Subramanian said seven people were detained in connection with stone throwing on buses.

Further, 25 people were taken into preventive custody, the numbers of which might go up, he added.

In protest against the incident, journalists and other employees of the daily and Sun network resorted to a road blockade on the national highway opposite their office, crippling vehicular traffic.

UNI