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"The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) was in no way involved in Sunday's violence at the DMK rally in Madras," party leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said on Tuesday.
"We have already arrested a few policemen allegedly involved in the attacks on newspersons on that day," she told reporters after calling on acting Governor Dr C Rangarajan in the Madras Raj Bhavan.
"We have appointed a judicial commission to probe the incident," the chief minister said.
She rejected the DMK's demand for a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and blamed it for Sunday's incidents.
Incidentally, informed sources now confer greater credibility to reports of 'outside elements' sparking off the violence at the DMK rally.
In this context, they refer to DMK president M Karunanidhi's observation of most injured party men having received sickle or knife wounds during the attacks.
"You do not expect DMK men to hack their own comrades," he pointed out.
Some observers pointed out that the police may have unwittingly lost valuable evidence, which might have proved at least part of their innocence, by blocking journalists, particularly videographers, from covering the event.
Having thrown the baby with the bath water, they have only themselves to blame for their version not being taken seriously, they said.
Incidentally, a team of journalists headed by N Ram also called on the governor on Monday evening while Madras journalists have organised a day's fast on Wednesday to protest against the police high-handedness.
Not satisfied with the apology tendered by Police Commissioner Muthukaruppan, they have decided to boycott all his press conferences and those of DGP Raveendranath.
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