Protesting DMK MLAs taken into custody

Chennai: Police on Saturday took into custody DMK MLAs as they sat on protest, led by party chief M.K. Stalin, on Marina beach here against the manner in which the party legislators were evicted from the state assembly.

DMK's Working President Stalin, along with party MLAs, sat on protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Marina beach.

Police later took the DMK MLAs into custody. DMK supporters blocked the police vehicles at the venue.

A couple of hundred metres away at the Marina beach, there were scenes of jubilation by the AIADMK faction led by V.K. Sasikala on Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami winning the vote of confidence.

Palaniswami, his ministers and other AIADMK party men arrived at the beach to pay their homage to late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at her memorial in Marina.

Earlier, Stalin met Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao and lodged a complaint against the happenings in the assembly.

Speaking to reporters after he and his party legislators were evicted from the assembly, Stalin said the party had demanded secret ballot to decide on the motion of confidence moved by Chief Minister Palaniswami.

He said the party demanded adjournment of the House for a week so that legislators can go back to their constituencies and seek the people`s views before they come back to vote on the confidence motion.

The DMK leader said he sat in protest inside the assembly to press his demand.

Stalin alleged he was forcibly evicted by the marshals and suffered injuries while his shirt was damaged.

He also alleged that the party legislators were assaulted by the marshals while evicting them.