Date:08/11/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/08/stories/2003110809181100.htm

National

Search, use of abusive language

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI NOV. 7. Soon after the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted the resolution to imprison the Directors and journalists of The Hindu, a posse of police personnel barged into the residence of the Executive Editor, Malini Parthasarathy, to arrest her. She was not at her residence.

Seeing the police, the servants called a relative for help. A few women police officials, accompanied by policemen, questioned the servants for the next few hours. The questioning was done in the living room of the house, where the officers made themselves comfortable.

Even the arrival of the relatives did not deter the police from using abusive language against the servants and subjecting them to even more intense interrogation.

Nor did it deter them from searching the files and cabinets; the bedroom and the bath; all without producing any warrant, despite being repeatedly asked if they had one.

The relatives who turned up were not first allowed to enter the home and later, they were questioned and the numbers of their vehicles taken.

The police made the home their base till the end of their search, which went on till around 10 p.m.

The police also searched the houses of N. Ravi, Editor, and S. Rangarajan, Publisher.