TIRUPUR: Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) state women’s wing secretary and Dharapuram assembly bypoll candidate M Karthika was arrested along with her husband by Dharapuram police from their residence near Peelamedu here in the early hours of Tuesday in connection with cases registered against them a few days before polling. Eight other NTK functionaries were also arrested.Karthika and her husband, Muruga Chandrakumar, were taken to Dharapuram along with eight others arrested in connection with four cases including one registered on Oct 4. Earlier, they were detained on Oct 4 for holding a protest when TVK leader and chief minister C Joseph Vijay conducted a roadshow for party candidate P Sathyabama. Police registered three more cases in connection with incidents during the election campaign.Others arrested were NTK’s state propaganda secretary Isai Madhivanan of Tenkasi, Dharapuram election in-charge Sanjay Gandhi, Kandasamy of Mulanur, Dharapuram town in-charge Sheikh Fareed, student wing secretary Surya, Chennai area secretary Gokul, youth wing secretary Vignesh of Sholavandan and party functionary Govindaraj.The allegations include a road blockade by NTK supporters along the route of chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s roadshow, and an argument with police personnel when a banner allegedly placed at an unauthorised location along the route of DMK president M K Stalin’s roadshow was removed. The NTK members abused and attempted to assault police personnel during the confrontation, according to the allegations. Another case relates to an alleged assault on a TVK supporter who was returning home with a child near the venue of an NTK public meeting in Kamarajapuram. A separate case was registered over the alleged posting of a defamatory video.NTK members who gathered outside the police station alleged that the arrests were politically motivated and made nearly 20 days after the incidents. They claimed that police had not provided clear information about the cases in which the arrested functionaries were booked or the police stations where they were being held.
