Asked if he bribed middleman Chandrasekar to get party symbol back, he says he doesn’t know the latter
The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Saturday grilled AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran in connection with an alleged attempt to bribe an Election Commission official for retaining ‘two leaves’, the party symbol.
The questioning continued till late in the night at the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch in Chanakyapuri. “He is being asked about the money trail, his association with middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar and whether he has met any EC official or not,” said a senior police officer.
Dinakaran’s lawyers were not allowed to accompany him during the questioning, which started around 3 pm amid tight security. The police are cross-examining his call logs, WhatsApp messages and SMSes and also his relation with Chandrasekar, who was arrested from a Delhi hotel. The police had recovered Rs 1.3 crore and two luxury cars from him.
“He gave his statement in writing, and, thereafter ,he was questioned on the basis of his statement and the interrogation report of Chandrasekar. During questioning, on many occasions, he did not cooperate with the police and remained elusive,” said a source, who was part of the interrogation team. Dinakaran and Chandrasekhar, who have been in police custody for the past eight days, were questioned together. Dinakaran reportedly told the police that he did not know Chandrasekhar.
He reached the Capital at 12.30 pm and told the media that he “came to Delhi for joining the probe”. He then went to a five-star hotel in south Delhi. Around 3 pm, the AIADMK leader reached the Crime Branch office along with his PA and driver.
Dinakaran joined the probe after a team of the Crime Branch led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) visited Chennai to serve notice on him on Wednesday.
The police sources had claimed that Dinakaran and Chandrasekhar were in touch with each other and that they were in the process of completing the bribery deal. Sources said Dinakaran’s personal assistant was also taken to the Crime Branch office and was also asked whether he knew Chandrasekhar.
An FIR was filed by the Delhi Police during an investigation of Rs 50 crore deal of selling the party symbol, allegedly involving Dinakaran, nephew of jailed VK Sasikala.
Police got on 27-year-old Chandrashekhar’s trail after they received a tip-off from an informer about certain Election Commission officials being approached. Sources said that he had struck a deal for Rs. 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the ‘two leaves’ symbol.
Dinakaran, who is the AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary, is already facing a rebellion in Chennai, as his faction of the party has decided that both Dinakaran and his aunt, VK Sasikala, who is the party chief, would be evicted from their positions.
After former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s death, the AIADMK promoted her aide, VK Sasikala, as its chief. O Panneerselvam, who was a regular stand-in for Jayalalithaa whenever she had to resign as CM, was made the chief minister. But then Sasikala decided to become the CM herself, prompting a revolt by Panneerselvam. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in February sentenced Sasikala to jail in a disproportionate assets case.
Before heading to prison, Sasikala placed her nephew Dinakaran in charge of the party and a loyalist, E Palaniswami as Chief Minister.
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