Cases Filed Against 200+ People Including Chennai Mayor Priya and Ex-Minister Sekar Babu After DMK Protest

The DMK student wing staged protests across all district headquarters in Tamil Nadu on Monday, demanding the dismissal of Tamil Nadu Human Resource Management Minister Sarathkumar amid a drug-related controversy.

In Chennai, DMK workers began setting up stages near Rajrathinam Maidan in Egmore for the protest, but police refused to grant permission and ordered the construction halted. When protesters persisted in erecting the stage without authorisation, police moved in to make arrests, sparking heated arguments and physical altercations between the two sides.

Former Minister Ma. Subramanian and other party functionaries arrived at the scene and defied the ban by joining the protest, raising slogans against the state government. Police subsequently arrested Ma. Subramanian, several former MLAs, and all others present.

Meanwhile, angered by the denial of permission and the Egmore arrests, DMK student wing members staged a sudden road blockade near Dhowtan Bridge in Purasawalkam. Former Minister Sekar Babu, Mayor R. Priya, and senior party functionaries participated in the blockade, sitting on the road with banners condemning the minister. The demonstration brought heavy traffic disruption to the Purasawalkam highway.

As police moved to detain the road-blockers, DMK activists lay down in front of police vehicles in defiance and were forcibly lifted and arrested. In total, approximately 700 people — including former ministers and around 200 women — were arrested across Chennai for protesting without permission.

Police subsequently registered cases under three sections against 233 people, including former Minister Ma. Subramanian, for the Egmore protest. Separately, cases were also registered against more than 200 people involved in the Purasawalkam demonstration, including former Minister Sekar Babu and Mayor R. Priya.