Tamil Nadu: Annamalai Strongly Counters Tamil Nadu Police And DMK Over Coimbatore Blast Case

The Tamil Nadu police has accused K Annamalai, the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of defaming them.

This comes after Annamalai said that the Tamil Nadu police had not taken action on a ‘specific intelligence input’ that came five days before the Coimbatore cylinder blast in which Jameesha Mubeen, an ISIS sympathizer died.

The Tamil Nadu police refuted his allegation saying that the circular received by them was a general one that was sent to all states and Union Territories and Coimbatore was not mentioned anywhere in the circular.

Annamalai had also questioned the delay in recommending the transfer of the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Earlier, Governor RN Ravi (a former deputy national security advisor) too had said in his remarks at an event in Coimbatore, that it was difficult to understand why the Tamil Nadu government took four days to recommend the NIA probe. He also said that timing is important in cases related to terror.

He said that he has respect for the work done by the rank and file.

Regarding the fact that Mubeen had been on a list of suspected terrorists but was let off by the NIA after questioning in 2019, Annamalai said that even if he was let off by the NIA, it was the responsibility of the Tamil Nadu police to keep a watch on him.

He said that the DMK government had let down its guard against terror.

Annamalai also said that the continued silence of Chief Minister Stalin on the terror attack is condemnable given that he is also the Home Minister.

He questioned the rationale of the DMK to field Excise and Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji to address issues of the Home Ministry and attacking the opposition, especially the BJP, for raising legitimate questions.