Central team meets Fathima Beevi

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 1. A three-member team of Union Home Ministry officials today met the Tamil Nadu Governor, Ms. Fathima Beevi, and sought details of the incidents relating to the arrest of the former Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, and the two Union Ministers, Mr. Murasoli Maran and Mr. T.R. Baalu.

The Governor, as in the report she sent to the Home Ministry at the instance of the Union Home Secretary, Mr. Kamal Pande, gave the State Government's version of yesterday's incidents to the team of officials led by Mr. Mukund Behari Kaushal.

The members tried to get independent accounts of the incidents from mediapersons who had covered the arrest of Mr. Karunanidhi and the two Union Ministers.

In presenting her report to Mr. Pande, she conformed to the 9 a.m. deadline. The deadline was meant to enable the Union Cabinet to take a decision on the basis of the report before its afternoon meeting.

Unlike the NDA team led by Mr. George Fernandes, members of the Home Ministry team kept a low profile and took pains not to give any political colour to their visit. Their major concern was the propriety of the arrest of the two Union Ministers. Again unlike the NDA team, they did not call on Mr. Karunanidhi, but obtained the version of events from Mr. Maran in the hospital. They were to meet Mr. Baalu too at the Vellore prison, but could not obtain permission to do so in time.

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