65-year old DMK functionary arrested for 'misbehaviour' with

A 65-year old DMK Executive Committee member has been arrested near here on the charge of misbehaviour with some women passengers during a train journey early this month, police said Thursday. R Chandran was arrested by Railway Police from Salem and local police late Wednesday night at the DMK office in nearby Sulur based on an FIR filed at a police station in Chennai on a complaint by the women, they said.

Chandran, a former panchayata president of Sulur, was returning here from Chennai on March 8 by a train after attending a party meeting when he allegedly misbehaved with the women passengers. According to police, the women had pulled the alarm chain, bringing the train to a halt.

Railway police personnel rushed to the coach and held an inquiry following which Chandran and three of his party colleagues, who accompanied him, had given a written apology for his behaviour, police said. Local party workers questioned the timing of arrest and alleged it was a false case.

"It is a politically motivated and false case in view of election time," local DMK functionary Velusamy charged..