LIVE | ‘Treated like a terrorist’: Udhayanidhi Stalin slams TVK govt after release

Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was arrested from his residence in Neelankarai, Chennai, by a team of Thanjavur police personnel on Tuesday (August 4) morning. He is being taken to Thanjavur for interrogation in connection with a case registered over alleged derogatory remarks made during a farmers’ protest the previous day.

The arrest follows the registration of a case at the Thanjavur East Police Station based on a complaint by the organiser of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) women’s wing. The FIR invokes sections related to harassment of women, hate speech, the Information Technology Act, and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The controversy stems from a DMK-organised demonstration near the Panagal Building in Thanjavur on Monday (August 3), led by Udhayanidhi. The protest highlighted the ongoing Cauvery water crisis, the dry state of delta rivers during the Aadi Perukku festival, delayed water release from the Mettur Dam affecting Kuruvai cultivation, shortfalls against Cauvery Water Management Authority allocations, opposition to Karnataka’s Mekedatu project, and demands for drought declaration with relief of Rs 25,000 per acre for farmers.

What happened at Thanjavur protest?

Addressing the gathering, Udhayanidhi sharply criticised Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, calling him an “administratively incompetent dummy chief minister”. He accused the TVK government of running the state through reels and memes, remaining silent on the Mekedatu issue, failing to support Tamil Nadu farmers arrested in Maharashtra while en route to a Delhi protest, and neglecting genuine agrarian concerns.

During the speech, sections of the crowd began chanting “Trisha, Trisha”, referring to actress Trisha Krishnan amid social media speculation linking her to the chief minister. Udhayanidhi paused, smirked, and made a double-entendre remark involving “water” in the context of the Cauvery shortfall and the actress’s name.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu later clarified that he was referring to the river, but the video clips went viral, drawing widespread criticism for being vulgar and inappropriate. Mainstream reports described the Tamil phrasing as having a double meaning without quoting it directly.

Anticipatory bail plea hearing today

While being taken into custody, Udhayanidhi claimed the case was fabricated through “copy-paste” methods, alleging he was being prosecuted for remarks he never made. “I see this arrest action as a comedy,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Madras High Court agreed to hear in the afternoon an urgent anticipatory bail petition to be filed by Udhayanidhi. A High Court judge had also directed that no arrest action be taken against him until 12 noon. DMK legal teams had moved the court seeking protection from arrest. Despite this, the police proceeded with the action.

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