T.N. Raj Bhavan petrol bomb attack | Only a lone man attack, no attempt to barge in: DGP

TN police refute Raj Bhavan's claims of "miscreants carrying bombs" trying to "barge in"; CCTV footage of lone man hurling Molotov cocktail & April 2022 incident released to prove no security lapse. 253 police personnel on bandobust duty, dog squad, baggage scanner & security equipment provided. Charge sheet soon to be filed for 73 arrested in protest during Governor's visit. Police Commissioner not given appointment to present evidence to Governor. Maintaining law & order top priority.

Top police officers of Tamil Nadu including Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal on Friday, October 27, 2023 refuted the Raj Bhavan’s claims that “miscreants carrying bombs” had tried to “barge in through the main gate” of Governor R.N. Ravi’s office-cum-residence on Wednesday. The officers also released CCTV footage to substantiate the police’s stand that only a lone man, identified as ‘Karukka’ Vinod, had hurled Molotov cocktail (petrol bomb) at the main entrance of the Raj Bhavan on Sardar Patel Road in Chennai.

The officers also released CCTV footage of an incident in April 2022, to establish that Governor Ravi was not “physically attacked with sticks and stones” while he was on his way to attend a scheduled function at the Dharmapuram Adheenam, as alleged by T. Sengottaiyan, the Deputy Secretary to the Governor, in a police complaint dated October 25, 2023.

At a joint media conference addressed by Mr. Jiwal, Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner Sandeep Rai Rathore and Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, A.Arun, the DGP contended there was no lapse in security provided to the Governor.

The DGP said 253 police personnel are on bandobust duty at Raj Bhavan. Besides, a dog squad, baggage scanner and security equipment are provided. Central Reserve Police Force personnel are guarding the inner cordon and always 100 personnel from local police are on duty in the outer cordon.

“We never scale down the security arrangement. Wherever the Governor goes, advance security liasoning is done first,” he said.

Countering the Raj Bhavan’s claim on the petrol bomb hurling incident, Mr. Rathore played CCTV footage taken at multiple locations on the fateful day. He said the accused Vinodh, walked all the way from Teynampet Junction towards Raj Bhavan.

“He was outside Raj Bhavan and had not attempted to enter. Vinod was standing on Sardar Patel Road when he attempted to throw a bottle filled with petrol. As such that was not thrown inside the Raj Bhavan. The accused did not escape and he was not caught by the staff of Raj Bhavan but by the quick act of five personnel of Greater Chennai City Police and taken to Guindy Police station. This is the sequence of the occurrence,” the Commissioner said.