Melur tahsildar admits threats to withdraw case against Alagiri

CHENNAI: In yet another twist to the Melur tahsildar attack case, the officer S Kalimuthu, has written to the Election Commission admitting that two unidentified persons had threatened him to withdraw the complaint against Union minister M K Alagiri.
Sources said the EC had forwarded Kalimuthu's letter of clarification to trace the culprits. Police suspect that Alagiri's men might be behind the threats.The April 1 incident had grabbed media headlines particularly since
Kalimuthu's allegations were directed at the minister and his aides.
Kalimuthu said he had gone to videograph a meeting of locals held by Alagiri on a temple premises in Melur in his capacity as the returning officer in the constituency when DMK functionaries assaulted him even as the Madurai strongman heaped abuses on him.
However, after three days, the tahsildar denied that any such attack took place and withdrew his complaint, alleging that he had done so on the insistence of the Madurai collector.
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court has earlier dismissed a plea by Alagiri seeking to be discharged from the case saying it was a false complaint and directed the police to register a case against those who intimidated the tahsildar to withdraw his complaint.
However, Kalimuthu told inquiry officers, that he could not identify the culprits.