Crowd a problem at Collectorate complex

By S. Shanker

CHENNAI, APRIL 21. For the second consecutive day, police had difficulty restraining the crowd that accompanied candidates to file their nominations at the Chennai Collectorate.

While the police had no difficulty when the Education Minister came to file his papers, the security cordon, which was screening all entrants to the building collapsed, when the PMK candidate for the Saidapet constituency, came in.

The Sriperumbudur MP, Mr. A. K. Murthy, took offence, when Mr. M. Krishnan, the dummy candidate for Mr. C.B. Baskaran (PMK) was stopped at the gate. Shouting out to the police to let him in, he asked whether he should inform those present that he was an MP. After a discussion with policemen at the Collectorate complex entrance, he and 20 of his partymen were allowed to accompany the candidates, as each had come with 10 `proposers'. However, many managed to sneak in under the guise of `proposers' for independents and a crowd assembled at the lobby of the Saidapet Returning Officer's (RO) office. A sizable number had also got into the RO's room with Mr.Murthy.

Unable to hold back the crowd, the police closed the gates with Mr.Murthy inside. A quarrel broke out between his supporters and the police, and abuses were freely exchanged. When a Police officer told those outside that only seven to eight people could be permitted, those outside raised slogans condemning ``police atrocities''. ``Will you follow the same procedure when the Chief Minister comes'', one of them asked.

One Election Commission Observer who came to the lobby on hearing the commotion retraced his steps in haste. He later came to the RO's room along with the District Collector, Mr.Subramaniam.

The Education Minister, Mr. K. Anbazhagan, had restrained his volunteers from entering the campus. Waving to them, he indicated that he would file his papers and come to the gates. The Chennai Mayor, Mr. M.K. Stalin, accompanied him to the RO's office of Harbour constituency.

PMK volunteers trying to gain entry into the Returning Officer's chamber at the Chennai Collectorate on Saturday. - Photo: R. Raghu

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