Union minister and senior Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam leader M K Alagiri, along with 52 other members of his party, has been booked by the police in connection with the alleged assault of an election official and a videographer at a village in the district.
Tahsildar M Kalimuthu, who is the assistant returning officer for Melur assembly segment, and a videographer, part of a flying squad, were allegedly assaulted by DMK activists when they videographed Alagiri's visit to a temple in Keelavalavu in Melur taluk on Friday, said the police.
A case was registered against Alagiri, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Melur Union secretary Raghupathy, Madurai Deputy Mayor P M Mannan and 50 others for offences under the Indian Penal Code including unlawful assembly, waylaying, assaulting a government servant and violating prohibitory orders.
The case was registered on Friday night on a complaint from the tahsildhar.
Earlier, nearly 300 revenue department officials staged a dharna in Madurai demanding the arrest of Mannan, Raghupathy and another person for allegedly roughing up the official and the videographer.
As the incident took place in the presence of the Union minister, he should also be probed in the case, Tamil Nadu Revenue Officials Association District president Sadhasivam and state vice-president Gnana Gunalan said.
Alagiri, the DMK's south zone organising secretary, had gone to the temple where the flying squad started videographing his visit.
The angry DMK men allegedly roughed up the videographer and the tahsildar. They also threatened the duo and forced them to leave the area. As the situation turned tense, police personnel escorted the squad out of the temple, said the police.
The revenue officials association also demanded proper protection for the officials and threatened to boycott their work if the accused were not arrested. Kalimuthu had gone to the spot as per the Election Commission's directive.
"We only did our duty. But DMK functionaries intimidated us, abused us and roughed us up," he said.