Chennai 2001: Five DMK cadres killed in police firing during Marina rally

In August 2001, a planned rally by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Chennai to protest the arrest of party chief M. Karunanidhi ended in violence and police firing, resulting in the deaths of five party cadres. The events of August 12, 2001, remain a contentious chapter in Tamil Nadu's political history.

The rally came a month after Karunanidhi was arrested at his Oliver Road residence in Chennai in a midnight operation. The DMK general council had passed a resolution to hold the demonstration to condemn the police action. The rally was to start at Little Mount in Saidapet and proceed through Cathedral Road and Kamaraj Salai to Marina Beach, where Karunanidhi was to address a meeting at Seerani Arangam.

Trouble began in the evening when protesters raised slogans against then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Chennai Police Commissioner K. Muthukaruppan. The situation escalated near the Director General of Police's office. According to contemporary reports, police resorted to a lathicharge, and journalists were also attacked and their camera equipment damaged.

Violence soon followed, with DMK cadres setting fire to four police vehicles, a bus, a jeep, and two motorcycles. Five journalists, including The Hindu photographer M. Moorthy, eight policemen, and about 15 DMK volunteers were admitted to hospitals. The police then opened fire, killing five DMK cadres. In all, six people died in the incident.

The next day, Andhra Pradesh Governor C. Rangarajan, who also held additional charge as Tamil Nadu Governor, arrived from Hyderabad. Karunanidhi met him and submitted a memorandum describing a "reign of terror" in the state and accusing the ruling AIADMK of a "diabolic design" to disrupt the rally. He also claimed that streetlights had been deliberately switched off near the DGP's office, and that police opened fire in the darkness, while accusing AIADMK "rowdy elements" of attacking his men with knives and sickles.

A day later, video footage emerged showing a clash between DMK cadres and residents of Ayodhyakuppam near Marina Beach, with men wielding sickles. Karunanidhi said all DMK men in hospital had sustained stab injuries, asserting that DMK men would not have attacked one another.

The government, led by Jayalalithaa, appointed a one-man Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Justice Bhaktavatsalam. After a year of investigation, the commission gave the police a clean chit, stating that the use of force was "the minimum required and justified." The commission's report, tabled in the Assembly, said that a section of the processionists had attempted to forcibly enter the DGP's office complex and set a vehicle on fire, which necessitated a police response.

The commission also noted that the police resorted to water cannons and tear-gas shells before the situation escalated. The report attributed the violence to the mob's actions, which led to bleeding injuries among police personnel. The DMK rejected the findings, but the commission stood by its conclusion that the police acted within the bounds of justifiable force.

The incident remains a stark reminder of the volatility in political mobilisation and the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in maintaining public order. It also underscores the deep political rivalries that have shaped Tamil Nadu's governance and the enduring questions about accountability when protest and policing clash.