New BJP entrant Annamalai booked for ''violating'' lockdown restrictions

Coimbatore: Former IPS officer and new BJP entrant Kuppusamy Annamalai and four party leaders were booked on Friday by police for allegedly violating lockdown restrictions and unlawful assembly, a day after his maiden visit to the party office here.

Annamalai had visited the party office in Siddhapudur area here on Thursday, during which more than 50 people, including party workers, accorded him a grand welcome, to the accompaniment of a band, police said.

BJP State vice-president Kanagasabhapathy, General secretary G K Selvakumar, Treasurer, S R Sekhar and district president, Nandakumar, among others, were present.

Police said they had violated lockdown restrictions and traffic had also been held up for a while. Hence they were booked under various sections of the IPC, including 143 (Unlawful Assembly), 341 (Wrongful restraint), 269 (negligence likely to spread infection of any disease and 285 (negligent conduct), police said.

Annamalai had joined the BJP on August 25 at the party national headquarters in Delhi, asserting that he would work to bring the “nationalist spirit” to Tamil Nadu. He had described himself as a nationalist and claimed that BJP was the only party that doesn’t have “dynastic politics, nepotism or sycophancy”.