S Ramadoss released from prison; slams Jayalalithaa government

TIRUCHIRAPPALLI: PMK founder leader S Ramadoss, whose arrest on April 30 triggered violence in several parts of Tamil Nadu, was on Saturday released from the central prison here after he obtained bail in all five cases against him.

Emerging out of the prison, the leader slammed the Jayalalithaa Government for arresting him and scores of PMK activists and accused it of having clamped an 'unannounced emergency' against his party and Vanniayar Sangam, a community outfit and parent body of PMK.

Ramadoss alleged that the action against the PMK was taken with an eye on the Dalit vote bank.

He claimed he and his partymen were not provided basic amenities in the prison. "I was in the prison for 12 days without any basic amenities and we suffered," he told reporters.

When his attention was drawn to the prolonged violence targeting buses and other vehicles among others, he said, "It would not have occurred had we not been arrested."

However, he blamed the Dalit-based Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi for the violence.

Ramadoss along with more than 300 party activists was arrested in Villupuram on April 30 when he attempted to lead a demonstration over the April 25 Marakkanam violence, allegedly targeting Dalits, in violation of prohibitory orders.

Subsequently, his son and former union minister Anbumani Ramadoss was also arrested, but released on bail yesterday.

Ramadoss was later booked in four other cases, including one relating to a protest over Kudankulam Nulcear Power plant last year.

The arrests triggered violent incidents, including torching and stoning of hundreds of government buses in the past couple of weeks, resulting in detention of scores of party workers, some of them under the Goondas Act and National Security Act for alleged hate speech and instigating trouble.

While PMK alleged that Dalit outfit VCK was the reason behind the Marakkanam violence, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa blamed the Ramadoss-led party for it.

PMK has demanded a CBI and a judicial probe into the violence at Marakkanam when its members and Dalits clashed.

Several political parties, including DMK, have accused the PMK of attempting to whip up communal passions, but sought the release of Ramadoss.