Vaiko arrested and jailed on sedition charges for supporting Tamil Tigers

Chennai: MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested yesterday and jailed for 14 days on sedition charges for supporting the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

In an unrelated incident, a group of protesting students pelted stones at the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner's office here, with Colombo saying one of its officials was hit in the incident.

"Vaiko has been charged under Section 124 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (waging seditious war against the government) and under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for supporting the LTTE," a senior official said.

Arrested from his residence in northwestern part of the city in the afternoon, Vaiko was taken to a magistrate's court under heavy police protection by the Tamil Nadu police's 'Q' Branch that deals with extremist violence.

Before being led away by police escort, Vaiko told reporters: "India has armed, aided and abetted the genocide against the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka seeking a separate homeland. We only said that our cadres should not be forced to take to arms to save the suffering minority in Sri Lanka resulting in a law and order situation in Tamil Nadu.

"I reiterate that the MDMK stands by the unity and integrity of India and that we have not violated any law."

While Vaiko was sent to the high-security Puzhal prison, his party colleague M. Kannappan was arrested in Coimbatore district, 600 km southwest of here, around the same time and jailed for the same period.

Vaiko had asked the central government to snap diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka in retaliation for its military action against the LTTE and openly canvassed support for terrorist group.

K V Thangkabalu, president of the Congress party's state unit, said on telephone from New Delhi that he welcomed the arrest of "seditious forces", but wanted the state's DMK government to take action against other offenders as well.

Elsewhere in Chennai, a group of protesting students pelted stones at the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner's office yesterday.

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry in a statement issued in Colombo said the attempt by an "unruly group" to attack the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commissioner's office was "thwarted".

"In their attempt to break in, they had damaged the mission's security post and notice board. A stone thrown from outside and directed at the mission hit one of the officers," the statement said.