CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu assembly witnessed heated debate on Monday after a special call-attention motion on the murder of Amudhan, a 19-year-old engineering student in Coimbatore, turned into a political showdown, with the opposition walking out of the House.Moving the motion, leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin blamed the police for the student’s death and cited a series of recent violent incidents, including the murder of a student in Tiruvottiyur in Chennai and a double murder in Kancheepuram. He alleged that the incidents showed the govt’s failure to curb the drug menace despite its 100-day agenda.Intervening, minister R Nirmalkumar rejected the charge, saying Amudhan’s murder was the result of a gang war arising from previous enmity between student groups and was not drug-related. He said police had acted swiftly and registered cases under relevant sections, including the SC/ST Act. Fifteen people were arrested.Ministers Aadhav Arjuna and Nirmalkumar hit back, blaming the previous DMK govt for the spread of the drug menace. Nirmalkumar said the govt had taken aggressive steps to dismantle drug networks across the state. He cited a rise in POCSO cases from 6,064 in 2021 to 10,046 in 2024, linking it to the drug menace. Opposition MLAs protested, saying the ministers were deviating from the issue under discussion.Unhappy with the response, Udhayanidhi questioned the absence of chief minister C Joseph Vijay, who also holds the home portfolio. Pointing to the empty seat, he asked why the minister concerned was not present to respond to the opposition’s questions on the serious law and order issue.Udhayanidhi then walked out of the assembly along with DMK MLAs, accusing the govt of failing to provide satisfactory answers and take adequate measures to ensure public safety.
