Days after joining the BJP, former IPS officer Kuppusamy Annamalai landed in trouble as the Coimbatore city police booked him on charges of unlawful assembly and violation of Epidemic Diseases Act. The grand welcome accorded to the former IPS officer, who arrived at the party office in Coimbatore district on Thursday, turned out to be troublesome as the event was attended by more than 50 people.
Coimbatore district BJP president R. Nandakumar, state general secretary G.K. Selvakumar, treasurer S.R. Sekhar and state vice-president Kanagasabhapathy have also been booked.
FIR has been registered against the five BJP leaders in Kattoor police station in Coimbatore city for violating the lockdown norms during the pandemic. According to the police, a case has been registered against Annamalai and others under various sections of the IPC, including 143 (Unlawful Assembly), 341 (Wrongful Restraint), 269 (Negligence likely to spread infection of any disease) and 285 (Negligent Conduct) and section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act. The sections in the FIR, according to police sources, warrants a month in prison or fine.
Annamalai had joined the BJP a few days ago in the presence of party leader Muralidhar Rao in Delhi and later called on party president J.P. Nadda. After joining the party, he had said he would work to bring the “national spirit” in Tamil Nadu.
After joining the party, he arrived at the BJP party office on VKK road in Coimbatore on Thursday. Annamalai was given a grand welcome by the party functionaries, and the cadres felicitated him in front of the office by offering a ‘vel’ (the divine spear of Lord Muruga) which has become the symbol of the saffron party in the state.
After the welcome event, Annamalai addressed the media, saying the state’s progress stagnated after the Dravidian parties came to power.
“The former IPS officer and the BJP functionaries conducted a ceremony by gathering a crowd at a public place while the lockdown protocol is in force. So, a case has been registered,” said a police official in Coimbatore.
The FIR has brought trouble to the former IPS officer who is being promoted as the face of the youth by the state BJP. However, later in the day, in a video released, BJP's S.R. Sekar said the FIR was registered only because some of the parties in the state could not stomach the growth of the BJP and the fact that a former IPS officer joined the party.
He said, "We were wearing masks and followed social distancing. Despite that, lots of youngsters came to meet Annamalai." He also asked if the same rule was followed when a minister in Coimbatore conducted a wedding in his family and when other parties like DMK, VCK organised programmes.
