TN bypolls: FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin for involving child in Dharapuram campaign

Tiruppur police have registered a case against Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over allegations of involving a child in an election campaign and making the child insult the Chief Minister. Police said an investigation is underway amid Model Code restrictions

Tiruppur: Tiruppur district police have registered a case against Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin for allegedly involving a child in an election campaign and making the child speak in a manner insulting to the Chief Minister.

The incident allegedly took place during a campaign meeting near the Periyar statue in Dharapuram town on Saturday, according to a press release issued by police.

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Police said the case has been registered at the Dharapuram Police Station and that an investigation was underway. The press release did not specify the legal provisions under which Udhayanidhi had been booked. The police action comes while the Model Code of Conduct is in force in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency. The district police referred to the Election Commission’s instructions against involving children in election-related activities.

According to the release, the Commission had directed that children should not be used for any activity connected with elections. Police cited these instructions while outlining the allegations relating to Saturday’s campaign meeting.

The statement alleged that Udhayanidhi made a child speak in a manner that insulted the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. It also accused him of using children for election campaign purposes, but did not reproduce the remarks attributed to the child.

The release did not explain how the child was brought into the campaign proceedings or describe the circumstances in which the alleged remarks were made. It also did not identify the child or provide details about the child’s age. While confirming the registration of the case, police did not disclose whether the action followed a complaint from an individual, party or election official. No details of the complainant were included in the statement.

The allegations outlined in the release remain subject to investigation. Police have announced the registration of a case, but the statement contains no findings, establishing the alleged conduct or explaining Udhayanidhi’s role beyond the accusation.

The release also did not include a response from Udhayanidhi to the allegations or indicate whether police have sought his explanation. It offered no timetable for completing the investigation.

Further details about the case, including the provisions invoked and the evidence being examined, were not provided. The district police said the Dharapuram Police Station was continuing its investigation into the alleged use of children during the election campaign meeting.