T.N. BJP leaders K. Annamalai, Tamilisai Soundarajan, arrested ahead of protest at TASMAC headquarters

K. Annamalai speaks to media while being detained before the Tamil Nadu BJP’s protest against the alleged TASMAC scam, on March 17, 2025.
Photo: Screenshot from X/@PTI_News

Several Tamil Nadu BJP leaders, including State president K. Annamalai and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, were arrested by the Chennai city police on Monday (March 17, 2025) ahead of a protest against the alleged irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac). Mr. Annamalai was stopped by the police about 1 km from his house in Akkarai and was taken into custody as he was proceeding towards the protest venue in Egmore.

Ms. Soundararajan was taken into custody as she was leaving her house for the protest.

BJP MLAs Vanathi Srinivasan, who is the national president of BJP Mahila Morcha, and Saraswathi were also arrested, near the State Secretariat.

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Tamil Nadu BJP had planned to protest outside the Tasmac head office in Egmore, Chennai, over the alleged ₹1,000-crore financial irregularities in its functioning. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) had recently conducted searches at the Tasmac headquarters.

Ms. Soundararajan was preparing to leave her house in Saligramam on Monday morning after her supporters had gathered there. The police cordoned off her house by deploying additional personnel. She was taken into custody as she came out of her house to prevent her from participating in the protest. There was a scuffle between party workers and the police when the latter arrested them.

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The police also arrested BJP functionaries and cadre who gathered at Rajarathinam Stadium when they planned to proceed towards the Tasmac head office in the CMDA building in Egmore. Another BJP functionary Vinoj P. Selvam in T. Nagar and a group of party workers in Taramani were also arrested.

Mr. Annamalai condemned the arrests. In a social media post, he said: “Is it because we declared the protest democratically and announced the date of the protest in advance that you (government) are able to engage in such cowardly actions? What can you do if we suddenly launch a protest one day, without announcing a date?”