Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 3 : Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader CTR Nirmal Kumar on Friday raised serious concerns over the safety of his party candidates during the ongoing Tamil Nadu Assembly election campaign.
He alleged that several violent incidents, including bottles being thrown at party meetings in Villivakkam, were deliberately instigated by DMK to disrupt TVK's electoral activities.
Speaking to ANI, Nirmal Kumar said, "There is no safety for our candidates and our leader all over parts of Tamil Nadu. It has been deliberately created by DMK. They are doing this to sabotage our leaders' and candidates' campaigns."
He added, "We want the Election Commission to take appropriate action and provide proper security."
Earlier, the TVK leadership had formally approached the Chief Election Officer of Tamil Nadu, highlighting the alleged role of anti-social elements linked to the ruling DMK.
Aadhav Arjuna, TVK General Secretary (Election Campaign Management), in a letter dated April 1, stated that several women party cadres were injured when broken glass bottles were thrown at a meeting in Villivakkam.
"The assault on our women cadres was aimed at disturbing our peaceful propaganda meeting and scaring away voters who were present in large numbers," the letter said.
It further alleged that the local police initially treated the incident as a minor drunken brawl, despite repeated complaints and evidence.
"Immediately, I intervened and informed the police that we will be forced to go on hunger strike if the culprits are not apprehended and arrested immediately. After that, the police seem to have arrested the rowdy elements but under some lighter charges rather than arresting them under the serious charges of Attempt Murder," Arjuna further wrote.
"I further came to know from reliable sources that DMK top leadership have conspired to murder me with a view to scaring away the other contesting TVK party candidate from seriously canvassing for votes," he added.
TVK has also demanded the immediate transfer of Chennai District Returning Officer Kumaragurubaran IAS and Chennai Commissioner of Police Arun IPS, accusing them of partiality towards the DMK.
The letter stated, "Unless they are transferred and impartial officers with proven integrity are appointed, it is not possible to approach the voters."
The party has urged the Election Commission to provide adequate armed police protection to ensure the safety of TVK leaders and candidates and enable them to conduct their campaigns without fear.
Arjuna concluded, "I request the Hon'ble Election Commission, Tamil Nadu, to provide necessary armed police protection to me and to all the other contesting candidates belonging to TVK to enable us to meet the people to canvas votes and move freely within the stipulated time to attend all the meetings for which necessary permissions have been granted by the Election Commission."
Earlier, TVK chief Vijay on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Union Home Secretary, raising concerns over alleged security lapses during his election campaign in Tamil Nadu.
In his letter, Vijay said that on March 30, while travelling from Perambur to Kolathur after filing his nomination papers, "no adequate police deployment had been made to facilitate the secure and uninterrupted movement of the VIP convoy carrying the protectee."
Vijay urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the Tamil Nadu Police to ensure proper security arrangements for all his public engagements, strictly following the guidelines in the "Yellow Book" governing security for protected persons. He emphasised that immediate corrective measures were needed to prevent any potential security breaches.
Vijay is contesting the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections from Perambur and Trichy East, taking on DMK incumbents RD Sekar and Inigo S Irudayaraj, while TVK has fielded VS Babu in MK Stalin's Kolathur constituency.
Vijay has positioned his campaign around youth-centric and welfare-driven initiatives. Unveiling the party's manifesto, he promised the creation of "anti-drug protection zones" in schools and colleges and announced monthly financial assistance of Rs 4,000 for graduates and Rs 2,000 for diploma holders.
Tamil Nadu's polls will be held in a single phase on April 23, with counting scheduled for May 4.
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