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Sun TV's premises in Madras raided

Our Correspondent in Madras

Tamil Nadu police raided the office of Sun TV, the satellite television channel owned by Kalanidhi Maran, son of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politician and Union Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran, late on Sunday night.

Details of the operation were not immediately available, but sources said the raid was related to Sun TV's telecast of a videotape of the pre-dawn swoop on DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi's house on Saturday. The satellite channel's news service was reportedly off the air.

Meanwhile, the state police released their own video footage of the arrest of Karunanidhi, Maran and another Union minister, T R Baalu, to counter Sun's visuals.

Madras Police Commissioner K Muthukaruppan, showing the video footage to reporters, justified the police action, saying it was within the jurisdiction of the law.

The police could arrest anyone, even Union ministers, if they were facing criminal charges, he said. The only condition was that the Lok Sabha speaker had to be informed.

Maran and Baalu, he said, had assaulted police officers and tried to prevent them from doing their duty.

The police video footage, which has been repeatedly telecast on Jaya TV, a satellite television channel run by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's associates, since Sunday evening, begins with a police team entering Karunanidhi's house and knocking at his bedroom door. The DMK chief comes out, offers his cooperation and asks for permission to proceed to another room for a change of clothes, which is granted.

At this juncture, the footage shows Maran entering the house and a blurred picture of somebody talking to Karunanidhi, purportedly Maran.

Before Karunanidhi is told of his arrest, his wife asks the police the purpose of their visit at such an unearthly hour.

Another portion shows Maran arguing with police and demanding to know whether there is any warrant for Karunanidhi's arrest, for which the police personnel reply in the negative.

Suddenly, an unidentified person is seen pulling Karunanidhi. After a gap, former Tamil Nadu assembly deputy speaker Parithi Ilamvazuthi and T R Baalu are seen arguing with the police.

A scuffle takes place when the police try to arrest Baalu and he suddenly falls down. Maran is also shown being bodily lifted by the police into Vepery police station.

With additional reporting from PTI

Karunanidhi's Arrest: The Complete Coverage

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