Chennai: A Tamil orator, who allegedly made provocative remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah last week, was taken into custody late Wednesday night, police said.

Nellai Kannan was whisked away by a police team in Perambalur district in connection with complaints against him by the BJP and the ruling AIADMK.

The move comes hours after top Tamil Nadu BJP leaders staged a demonstration near Gandhi statue point on the Marina beach front here, demanding his arrest over the remarks.

The BJP had also petitioned Governor Banwarilal Purohit seeking action against Kannan.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri in a statement claimed Kannan has been arrested. Alagiri also condemned the move.

Kannan made the alleged remarks at an event organised by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on December 28. The BJP on Monday lodged a police complaint seeking his arrest and prosecution.

"Such remarks are open threat to the lives of the prime minister and the home minister and are an attempt to incite violence, criminal intimidation, and abetment to murder," State BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi had said.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Lahore (PTI): Pakistan's Punjab Police on Friday registered a case against unidentified gunmen for opening fire on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Amir Hamza, who suffered bullet injuries in the attack in Lahore.

On Thursday, two unidentified gunmen riding on a bike opened fire on the vehicle of the private TV channel 24NewsHD TV, owned by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, on Peco Road in Lahore near the TV channel's office.

In the attack, Hamza suffered bullet injuries.

"The FIR has been registered against unidentified gunmen, but it is sealed forthwith," a senior police officer told PTI.

He said the intelligence agencies have taken over this case from the police, and they are currently investigating the matter.

The channel's religious programme host Justice (retd.) Nazir Ahmed Ghazi and Hamza were in the vehicle when it was attacked. Hamza was shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Punjab police on Friday said that "upon receiving information about the incident, the SSP Operations immediately reached the scene and a high alert was imposed in the area. SSP Operations Tauqeer Naeem also met the affected individuals. Thankfully, all present in the vehicle remained safe during the firing."

It further said senior police officers of the Township and Chung, along with a heavy police contingent, were present at the scene.

"Police collected evidence from the site and initiated an investigation. Efforts to arrest the suspects are underway using CCTV footage and geo-fencing techniques. Search and sweep operations are being conducted at various locations, with scrutiny of suspicious individuals ongoing," police said.

It added that those involved in the incident will be traced and arrested soon.

The police sources said that Hamza has been shifted to his residence in Jauhar Town, Lahore, where police and agency personnel met him.

The leadership of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political front of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat-ud-Dawah (JuD), including Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed, also called on him.

TV host retired Justice Ghazi, who remained unhurt in the attack, remained a legal counsel for Hafiz Saeed, they said.

The PMML has strongly condemned the attack on Hamza and demanded that those involved in the incident be arrested immediately.

Hamza is regarded as LeT's second most important leader after its chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after getting convicted for several years in terror financing cases. 

Hamza has been designated as a terrorist by the US. In the past, he served as the head of LeT's "special campaigns" department.

In 2018, Hamza formed a fundraising group for the LeT following a ban on the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation by the Pakistani government.