On October 25, a man hurled a petrol bomb directed at the campus of the Raj Bhavan in Chennai. The Molotov Cocktail fell on the road and exploded just before a steel barricade. The police were quick to step in and surround him but he had managed to lob another bomb. The police identified him easily.
He was Karukka Vinoth, who was involved in similar Molotov Cocktail attacks in the past. Some years ago, he was accused of hurling a petrol bomb at a TASMAC liquor outlet in Chennai. In 2017, he made a daring attack at the Teynampet Police Station. Last year, he was arrested by Chennai police after hurling a petrol bomb at the Tamil Nadu BJP office.
The Raj Bhavan incident happened just days after Vinoth was released on bail. Soon after this incident, the question on people’s minds was why the police did not put Vinoth under surveillance, given that he was a habitual offender. This issue would have confronted the ruling DMK government. It would have been cornered on the issue of law and order had not the Raj Bhavan stepped in to provide a counter narrative.
Six hours after this attack, the Raj Bhavan put out a statement on X: “Raj Bhavan was attacked today afternoon. Miscreants carrying bombs tried to barge in through the main gate. However, alert sentries prevented and assailants hurled two petrol bombs inside Raj Bhavan and escaped.” We look at the words used in this statement, where the police failed, previous instances of petrol bomb attacks in Tamil Nadu, and if this incident was politicised. Script and presentation: D. Suresh Kumar
Production: Shibu Narayan
Videography: S. Shiva Raj
