CHENNAI: A DMK partyman was arrested by Nungambakkam police on Friday for allegedly attacking a cameraman of a Tamil news channel the previous day. He was later released on station bail. Police said the cameraman, Senthil Kumar, along with a reporter went to a courier company in Nungambakkam to cover a raid that was being conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chennai in connection with the drug smuggling case that allegedly involved Jaffar Sadiq, a DMK functionary who was expelled from the party after the allegations surfaced.
After reaching the spot, Senthil started videographing the building. However, the courier company was on the first floor and an office of the DMK party was functioning on the ground floor. Some women, who were in the party office, asked Senthil not to record their office.
“An argument ensued between the cameraman and the women. S Kalaiselvan (47), a DMK member, intervened in the argument and slapped Senthil,” police said. Based on the cameraman’s complaint, Nungambakkam police registered a case and arrested Kalaiselvan.
Meanwhile, a senior NCB official told TNIE that they conducted a raid only at Jaffer Sadiq’s residence, and they were in no way related to the incident at Nungambakkam.
CSR filed against cameraman
Later in the day, rumours began to spread that Senthil was booked for verbally abusing and assaulting a woman. However, the city police clarified that no such case had been registered. But, a a group of journalists claimed they had received information from reliable sources about the registration of an FIR, and staged a sit-in protest at the Chennai City Police Commissioner officer condemning the police. Subsequently, late Friday night, the city police clarified that they had registered only a CSR, and not an FIR.