CHENNAI: A Governor’s report on Tamil Nadu’s law and order situation has reached the hCentre, setting off fresh political buzz over the Union government’s assessment of the State’s handling of crime, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday.

The nearly 90-minute meeting saw Arlekar brief Shah on a series of incidents that have raised concerns over public safety, including eight murders reported on Deepavali, the killing of a Special Sub-Inspector of Police in Theni, prison break incidents and the alleged rise in sexual offences against women and children, sources said.

The growing drug menace in the State was also among the issues understood to have figured in the briefing.

The briefing comes amid a series of law-and-order review meetings chaired by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who also holds the Home portfolio, with senior police officials in recent days.

Grapevine in the national capital had suggested that the Union Home Ministry was keenly monitoring developments in Tamil Nadu and had sought a detailed assessment from the Governor. The meeting assumes significance as the Joseph Vijay-led TVK government faces mounting criticism from Opposition parties over its handling of law and order.

The alleged harassment of Kallakurichi District Collector J E Padmaja by TVK MLA C Arul Vignesh and the controversy surrounding Assembly Deputy Speaker M Ravisankar, who has been accused of assaulting a member of the public, were also understood to have featured in the discussions.