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Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Vaiko, against whom a non-bailable warrant has been issued by Thirumangalam judicial magistrate after the state government charged him under Prevention of Terrorism Act for his pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam speech on June 29, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday morning from Chicago enroute to Chennai.
Union Ministers and MDMK members Gingee Ramachandran and Kannappan received him at the airport from where they left for Centaur hotel and were likely to leave for Chennai around 11 30 am.
Eight of his party leaders have already been arrested under similar charges. MDMK leaders had threatened an agitation in Tamil Nadu in the event of Vaiko's arrest.
Meanwhile, six of the eight MDMK functionaries, who were arrested under POTA on July 9 for their 'pro-LTTE utterances' and lodged at the central prison in Madurai, have been shifted to three different prisons on Thursday morning, the police said.
Except the Sivaganga district secretary Pulavar Sivandhiappan and the former Member of Parliament Ganesha Murthy, all others were shifted to different jails, the police said.
The MDMK Madurai district secretary Veerailavarasan and city secretary Bhoominathan have been shifted to Salem jail, while another leader Ganesan and deputy secretary of the party's 'policy-detailing' wing Azhagusundaram were shifted to Cuddalore jail. Ex MLA Maniam and Nagarajan have been shifted to Tiruchi jail, they added.
As many as 230 MDMK workers have also been taken into preventive custody since Wednesday night in the district, following the party's announcement to stage statewide picketing in the event of Vaiko's arrest.
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