Death threats to Jaya: DMK govt seeks CBI probe

Buckling under pressure from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday decided to hand over to the Central Bureau of Investigation five cases regarding repeated death threats issued to its party chief Jayalalithaa.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government's decision comes a day after an AIADMK delegation made yet another representation to the chief secretary and home secretary demanding a CBI probe into the threats.

"Accepting the demand made by the AIADMK delegation, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to transfer to the CBI all cases pertaining to the issuing of death threats to Jayalalithaa," the government said in a statement.

The statement added that the state police was taking all the required action on a set of complaints made by AIADMK backed Jaya TV channel, which has claimed it has received several letters warning Jayalalithaa against touring Madurai for a proposed rally in October.

The statement said special teams had been formed to probe the matter after cases were filed at Guindy police station in Chennai and the police teams had toured Madurai, Tanjavur to conduct investigations.

High-ranking officials were overseeing the investigation and the letters have been sent for forensic examination, it said. AIADMK claimed the letters had also warned the channel not to air programmes about the murder of a former DMK minister.

An AIADMK delegation led by party treasurer O Panneerselvam had claimed in its representation to the government on Monday that no action had been taken on its complaints and pressed its demand for a CBI probe.

The AIADMK had also said that though it had been more than a month since the first complaint was lodged, no action had been taken by the police. The threats were being received ever since Jayalalithaa announced a rally in Madurai, considered the stronghold of Union minister and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's son M K Alagiri, the AIADMK claimed.

AIADMK also said the threat letters were focused on Madurai with reference to 'Anjanenjan' (a sobriquet for Alagiri) and they had no faith that the chief minister would act on the complaints as his son's name was involved.

An AIADMK delegation had earlier in September met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram, complaining about the 'lackadaisical approach' of the DMK government to the threats posed to Jayalalithaa and demanded a CBI probe.

Countering the AIADMK allegations, the state government had earlier issued newspaper advertisements detailing the security measures to the former chief minister, at her Poes Garden residence, her Kodanadu hill retreat as well as cities where she was addressing public rallies.