Chennai, Mar 20 (PTI) In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the main opposition AIADMK on Thursday raised an issue related to the law and order situation and staged a walkout while Chief Minister M K Stalin slammed the prinicipal opposition party, saying they ran away without courage to hear the answer.

Palaniswami, speaking to reporters outside the House, said that Stalin had been repeating the same reply through the year and wondered if he and his party members should stay back in the Assembly to hear that answer. "We staged walk out as we were not allowed to speak, they did not allow me to speak and that was why we came out; and AIADMK is not a party to be afraid of this government," Palaniswami said.

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AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition, Palaniswami earlier raised the law and order issue in the House and pointed to 4 murders on March 19, in a single day, and the issue led to noisy scenes. When the AIADMK members were about to stage a walkout, Stalin said they should not forget the Tuticorin and Sathankulam incidents.

"We are not ready to say that we came to know of the incident only after seeing television," the chief minister said apparently hitting out at Palaniswami, who had said in 2018 that he got to know about police firing on anti-Sterlite protestors by watching television.

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'Sathankulam' (Tuticorin district) is a reference to the custodial deaths in 2020 of a father and son duo, Jayaraj and Bennix, which led to an outrage. Stalin said: "If you have courage, you may go after hearing the reply. You have no courage, you are running away."

However, the AIADMK members staged a walkout.

On Palaniswami's allegation of 4 murders, the CM said one was death by suicide, another is being probed and the third one was related to a family dispute. As regards the fourth incident, John alias Chanakiyan, a history-sheeter belonging to Kichippalayam in Salem district was hacked to death by some unknown persons. When police tried to intercept a 4-member gang's vehicle, involved in the case, they assaulted police personnel, prompting a police inspector to open fire for self-defence and the injured were taken to Perundurai hospital and later referred to Coimbatore government hospital.

Since Chanakiyan was the second accused in the murder of another history-sheeter in 2020, the murder appeared to be for "revenge" and police are continuing their investigation. Stalin said that the police department functioned independently and took action irrespective of the party affiliation of the accused. No discrimination is shown as regards action against the accused and the action includes preventive steps as well.

In the year 2024 alone, 4,572 people were arrested under the Goondas Act. In view of the tough action, the incidents of crime such as murder and attempt to murder have come down to 31,498 in 2024 from 49,280 in 2023, a reduction of 17,782 incidents in one year.

From 2012 till 2024, when year-wise count of murders is taken up, the count of 1,943 in the year 2012 during the AIADMK regime was the highest. "This was the highest during the past 12 years. The count for the year 2013 was 1,927. Under the AIADMK rule, the number of murders in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown was 1,661," the chief minister said.

Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami demanded an answer from the chief minister to prevent crimes. "He (Stalin) says we are arresting the culprits, this happens in all the regimes," he said and wondered whether the chief minister has the answer for prevention. On Tuesday, Stalin said that those responsible for the murder of the retired police sub-inspector, Zakhir Hussein in Tirunelveli would be brought to justice.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)