Tamil Nadu govt orders CBI probe into death threats to Jayalalithaa

Buckling under pressure from AIADMK, Tamil Nadu government today decided to hand over to CBI five cases regarding repeated death threats issued to its party chief Jayalalithaa.

The DMK government's decision comes a day after an AIADMK delegation made yet another representation to the chief secretary and home secretary demanding a CBI probe into the threats.

"Accepting the demand made by the AIADMK delegation, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to transfer to the CBI all cases pertaining to issuing of death threats to Jayalalithaa," the government said in a statement.

It, however, said the state police were taking all required action on a set of complaints by AIADMK backed Jaya TV channel, which has claimed it has received several letters warning Jayalalithaa against touring Madurai for a proposed rally in October.

The statement said special teams had been formed to probe the matter after cases were filed at Guindy police station in Chennai and the teams had toured Madurai, Tanjavur to conduct investigation with employees of Postal department.

High-ranking officials were overseeing the investigation and the letters have been sent for forensic examination, it said.

AIADMK claimed the letters had also warned the channel not to air programmes about the murder of a former DMK minister.

An AIADMK delegation led by party Treasurer O Panneerselvam had claimed in its representation to the government yesterday that no action had been taken on its complaints and pressed its demand for a CBI probe.

AIADMK had also said that though it was more than a month since the first complaint was lodged, no action had been taken by the police. The threats were being received ever since Jayalalithaa announced a rally in Madurai, considered the stronghold of Union minister and chief minister M Karunanidhi's son MK Alagiri, the AIDMK claimed.

AIADMK also said the threat letters were focused on Madurai with reference to "Anjanenjan" (a sobriquet for Alagiri) and they had no faith that chief minister would act on the complaints as his son's name was involved.

An AIADMK delegation had earlier this month met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister P Chidambaram complaining about the "lackadaisical approach" of the DMK government to the threats posed to Jayalalithaa and demanded a CBI probe.

Countering the AIADMK allegations, the state government had earlier issued newspaper advertisements detailing the security measures to the former chief minister, at her Poes Garden residence, her Kodanadu hill retreat as well as cities where she was addressing public rallies.