OPS , TTV Dhinakaran for joint agitation against slow pace of investigation in Kodanad case

Chennai: With the  Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) general secretary TTV Dhinakaran announcing that he would participate in the agitation announced by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) on August 1, against the slow pace of investigation in Kodanad murder-cum-heist case, grounds are clear for a broader political alliance of the two powerful Thevar leaders.

It may be noted that Panneerselvam was expelled from AIADMK in 2022 and the party is now in full control of Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) who is also a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. TTV Dhinakaran and his aunt and former interim general secretary of AIADMK, V.K. Sashikala are also out of AIADMK and Dhinakaran had floated the AMMK with the blessings of Sashikala.

OPS has announced an agitation against the slow movement in Kodanad murder-cum-heist case as the DMK had in its election campaign during 2021 assembly polls announced that it would commence a reinvestigation and bring the actual culprits to book.

The Kodanam murder-cum-heist case took place on the intervening night of April 23 and April 24, 2017 when a group of robbers broke open into the Kodanad estate-cum-bungalow in The Nilgiris district jointly owned by late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and V.K. Sashikala. Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016 and Sashikala was incarcerated in prison in February 2017.

The robbers had killed Om Bahadur, a watchman-cum-security guard of the estate bungalow, and had grievously injured Krishna Thapa, another guard of the estate. However, according to police FIR only some crystal miniatures were robbed from the estate bungalow.

Four days later, former driver of Jayalalithaa, Kanagaraj who is the first accused in the case, met with a road accident at Salem, Chennai highway, leading to his death. In Palakkad of Kerala, another accused Sayan and his family were hit by a truck while they were travelling in a car leading to the instant death of his wife and daughter.

In July, computer operator of the Kodanad estate bungalow, Dinesh Kumar, hanged himself to death at his residence.

The DMK had then alleged that some senior leaders of AIADMK had roles in the murder and heist at the estate bungalow and that huge amount of money and several important documents were stolen from the property. The party has also said that it would conduct a new investigation once it was back in power. While a fresh investigation commenced in the Kodanad case, its slow and tardy pace led the OPS to take up the matter.

With TTV Dhinakaran also joining OPS, it can send a message across political spectrum that the two senior Thevar leaders are uniting and that they had the blessings of Sashikala who is another Thevar. The Thevars are a powerful OBC community of South Tamil Nadu and the coming together of these senior leaders may pose a problem for the AIADMK in South Tamil Nadu.

–IANS