CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam has urged the Director General of Police to register a case against prohibition enforcement personnel in connection with an alleged attempt to frame an anti-TASMAC activist by planting cannabis packets outside his shop in Sivaganga district.
In a letter to the DGP on November 14, Shanmugam alleged that prohibition police personnel colluded with the owner of a bar attached to a TASMAC outlet at Thirukalapatti village in Tirupathur taluk to target Rajkumar, who had been leading protests demanding the closure of the liquor outlet.
Residents of the village, along with members of the All India Democratic Women's Association and the Democratic Youth Federation of India, had been staging protests for several months, demanding the removal of the TASMAC outlet, which they alleged was causing public nuisance and was located close to a school. Following a protest on November 4, officials had given a written assurance that the outlet would be removed on November 14, Shanmugam said.
According to the complaint, two men, identified as Rajapandi and Aasai, allegedly placed a packet of cannabis in front of Rajkumar's petty shop at around 8.13 am on November 5, at the instigation of bar operator Chokkanathan.
Around two minutes later, prohibition wing constable Vignesh and another unidentified person, both in plain clothes, arrived at the shop and allegedly threatened to arrest Rajkumar for selling narcotic substances. When Rajkumar pointed out that his shop had CCTV cameras and asked them to verify the footage, the personnel allegedly asked him not to escalate the matter and took away the packet.
Shanmugam said Rajkumar had submitted a complaint along with the relevant details, but no case was registered based on it. Instead, Vignesh allegedly lodged a complaint claiming that Rajkumar was involved in the incident, leading to the registration of a case and the arrest of five persons.
Alleging that prohibition police personnel had been acting in collusion with the bar operator, Shanmugam said the incident was an act of retaliation against Rajkumar for spearheading the campaign against the liquor outlet.
He urged the DGP to register a case against the police personnel involved and take appropriate action.