CHENNAI: A repeat offender with criminal antecedents was detained on Wednesday minutes after he hurled a Molotov cocktail (petrol bomb) in front of the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of Governor RN Ravi. No one was injured in the attack that happened around 3pm. A police complaint filed by a Raj Bhavan official said “studied indifference” by the state police to incidents of public threats to the life of the governor have vitiated his security.
Immediately after the accused hurled the petrol bomb, police personnel posted outside the Raj Bhavan chased and nabbed the suspect identified as M Vinod (42) alias Karukka Vinod of Teynampet. “Near the Raj Bhavan main entrance, the man hurled a Molotov cocktail just opposite the state highway research centre. Security personnel nabbed him and seized four more bottles of the cocktail from him,” Prem Anand Sinha, additional commissioner of police, told reporters.
T Sengottaiyan, deputy secretary to the governor, in his complaint, said the Raj Bhavan was “attacked” and that “miscreants carrying bombs tried to barge in through the main gate ... There have been sustained vicious attacks on the governor. These verbal attacks and threats have been made mostly by leaders and workers of DMK and its allies. These attacks on the governor have led to the deterioration of security to such an extent that now bomb attacks have started.”
Raj Bhavan: Cops reject security lapse allegations
“The governor cannot work under the shadow of such constant threats. Police must take steps to ensure proper probe and due punishment to all those involved, including conspirators behind the attacks, and ensure proper security to the governor,” the complaint said.
The additional police commissioner rejected allegations of security lapse and said the accused was detained within minutes because of the robust security at the Raj Bhavan. According to police sources, the accused, Vinod, is a history-sheeter involved in several criminal cases. He was involved in the hurling of ‘petrol bombs’ at BJP headquarters in Kamalalayam in February 2022, at a Tasmac shop in 2015, and in front of the Teynampet police station in 2017. He was released from jail just four days ago, police said. During interrogation, Vinod had said that he was unhappy with the governor over his refusal to pardon convicts and due to the spike in suicides in the state because of NEET.
Reacting to the incident, state BJP president K Annamalai wrote on ‘X’, “Petrol bombs that were hurled at Raj Bhavan reflect the true law and order situation in TN. While DMK is busy diverting the attention of people to insignificant matters, criminals have taken over the streets. These continuous attacks led one to think if the DMK government is sponsoring these attacks.”
Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, in a post on ‘X’ said, “The state’s highly guarded Raj Bhavan is not safe. The incident occurring just a day before the President’s arrival shows that law and order in TN is at its worst” Puducherry L-G Tamilisai Soundararajan said, “The recent spate of verbal and physical violence against RN Ravi has been encouraged by DMK supporters, which is strongly condemnable,” she said.
Repeat offender
The accused, Vinod, was involved in hurling of petrol bombs at BJP headquarters in 2022, at a Tasmac shop in 2015, and in front of the Teynampet police station in 2017, police said