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The Tiruchirappalli North District unit of the DMK staged a protest near the Thuraiyur bus stand, condemning Tamil Nadu Deputy Speaker and Thuraiyur MLA Ravi Shankar over the alleged assault of a man who had approached him with a petition seeking basic civic amenities.
Karthik Kumar, a resident of Thuraiyur and a member of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), had reportedly approached the MLA's office several times seeking basic facilities in his ward. However, he alleged that no action had been taken on his complaints. On November 8, Karthik Kumar met Deputy Speaker Ravi Shankar at Manachanallur to submit a petition regarding the civic issues. However, according to allegations, Ravi Shankar verbally abused and physically assaulted him without accepting the petition. A video purportedly showing the incident went viral on social media, triggering controversy. Subsequently, another video in which Karthik Kumar claimed that no such incident had taken place also surfaced, raising further allegations that he had been threatened and forced to record the statement. Karthik Kumar, who sustained injuries in the alleged assault, was admitted to Tiruchirappalli Government Hospital for treatment. The DMK alleged that no case had been registered against Ravi Shankar and no action had been taken against him so far. Demanding immediate registration of a case against the Deputy Speaker, appropriate action and his removal from the post, DMK cadres staged the protest under the leadership of Tiruchirappalli North District Secretary and former MLA Kaduvetti Thiagarajan. Former Thuraiyur MLA Stalin Kumar and several other DMK functionaries participated in the demonstration. Protesters raised slogans condemning the Deputy Speaker and demanding action against him. Addressing the protest, Kaduvetti Thiagarajan said that a case should be registered against the Deputy Speaker immediately. He warned that if the authorities failed to act, the DMK would ensure that a case was registered and mobilise the public to organise large-scale protests demanding action against Ravi Shankar. (ANI)
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