Actor and MLA Karunas arrested

Around 200 police personnel were deployed around the actor's house at the time of the arrest. 

The Thevar Pulippadai leader and Thiruvadanai MLA made defamatory remarks against the Chief Minister as well as police officers during a meeting at Valluvarkottam on September 16, 

Nungambakkam police on Thursday booked him under six sections - 153, 153 (A) (1)(a),(1)(b)(c)(ii), 307, 506 (i)  read with 120 (b) IPC and Section 41(VI)(a)(b)(c)(II), Madras City Police Act 1888, for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, promoting disharmony, attempt to murder and issuing death threat. 

Footage of the speech made available to the media showed him threatening a particular police officer for attacking his men. He also encouraged his cadre not to worry about murdering someone as he would be there to take care of the consequences. 

The actor-politician who spoke for about 45 minutes during his Puli Peravai agitation programme last week, said that it was his Mukkulathor (Thevar) community that offered the CM’s post as charity to Edappadi Palaniswami. Karunaas also chided some media houses for blacking him out. He also criticised PMK founder Ramadoss for allegedly misleading the public that Vanniyars were the largest caste in Tamil Nadu. Demanding a caste-based census at the earliest, he claimed that his Mukkulathor community held majority status in the State.

Against the backdrop of criticism from different outfits and AIADMK leaders warning Karunaas for his controversial speech, the MLA later expressed regret and said that his speech was not intended to offend other community members. “I only pointed out the demands of my community. It is not my intention to demean or speak ill of others,”Karunaas said. However, the actor who made a hate speech against an IPS officer, chose not to back out from his earlier comments on the city police.