PUDUCHERRY: A man created a flutter when he attempted to gain entry to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) public meeting addressed by actor Vijay here on Tuesday, carrying a handgun and claiming he was a personal officer to one of the party functionaries.
He was, however, detained by alert police, who meticulously frisked all those entering the venue for the restricted rally at the Expo Ground (New Port) in Uppalam.
A police official said the man claimed to hail from Sivaganga district and that he was a personal security officer who could not join his team on time.
He claimed that he had a licensed revolver. When reporters sought to know his identity and asked who he was providing security to, the man declined to answer but insisted he had a licence for the firearm.
The police official said the man was detained for further enquiry. He had holstered the handgun at his left waist, and the police at the venue entrance detected the firearm when they checked him.
Meanwhile, TVK senior functionaries objected to the stringent crowd control measures taken by Puducherry police. They entered into an argument with the police on duty, asking them to allow even those without a QR code. Enraged at this, a senior woman police officer shot back, “You are telling me what to do? 41 people died,” in an apparent reference to the Karur stampede tragedy. The police officer warned the TVK members not to overcrowd and cause trouble for others.
Police had a tough time managing the crowd, even though 1,500 personnel were pressed into action.