Court acquits accused in Dinakaran attack case

MADURAI: All the seventeen accused who were charged with burning three persons to death inside the office of Tamil daily Dinakaran, in Madurai in 2007, were acquitted by the Principal District Sessions Court, here on Wednesday.

In May that year, Dinakaran had conducted and published a statewide survey on the probable successor to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. The survey concluded that M K Stalin, now Deputy Chief Minister, had 70 per cent chances while M K Alagiri and Kanimozhi had only two per cent each.

Incensed by the publication, supporters of Alagiri, now Union Minister for Fertilisers and Chemicals, launched a series of protests. Subsequently on May 5, an irate mob attacked the office of Dinakaran on Melur Road and lobbed petrol bombs into the complex that started a fire in the office. Employees of the newspaper, Vinoth and Gopi and security guard Muthupandi died in the fire.

Police charged ‘Attack’ Pandi and 16 others with the crime. The case was transferred to the CBI on May 19, 2007. Rajaram, the then DSP, Oomatchikulam, was included as an accused for his negligence when the incident took place. The CBI filed a 32-page chargesheet and 85 witnesses testified before the court during the hearing.

The prime witnesses Aladiyan, SI, Othakadai, and the first eyewitness and the Deputy News Editor of Dinakaran, the second eyewitness, turned hostile while deposing before the court.

http://expressbuzz.com/States/tamilnadu/court-acquits-accused-in-dinakaran-attack-case/129244.html