Chennai, 29 June

An old viral video of the now Tamil Nadu minister who was purportedly seen crushing a pill has resurfaced, snowballing into a controversy, prompting the opposition parties to demand stringent action against him, with the DMK hitting the streets across Tamil Nadu on Monday, demanding his resignation.

Protesters strongly criticised the Chief Minister for his silence and "failure" to address the media directly, warning that the agitation would continue to intensify across the state until Minister D Sarath Kumar is dropped from the cabinet and a formal explanation is provided.

In Chennai, high drama unfolded near Rajarathnam Stadium in Egmore, as the police denied permission to the DMK student wing members to stage an agitation. Over 20 protesters were detained for violating the prohibitory order, and they are likely to be released in the evening, an official said.

Meanwhile, in Tirunelveli, over 250 DMK protesters were detained, and more than 100 were picked up amid rising tensions in Vellore as well.

DMK MLA PK Sekar Babu, who had joined the protest organised in Chennai, along with former Health Minister M A Subramanian, said: "Following the orders of the Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, changing the protest that was scheduled to be held at a single location into three different places in Chennai today and engaging in these arrest actions will only give further momentum to our movement."

Sekar Babu alleged that despite the party altering their venue to Rajarathnam Stadium upon official request, Egmore police forcefully intervened, detaining stage workers and seizing equipment vehicles.

Addressing reporters during the road blockade, Sekar Babu criticised Assistant Commissioner Jegadheesh, stating that officials bundled a former legislator into a vehicle without regard for protocol.

Demanding that Minister Sarathkumar undergo a medical test for cocaine consumption, Sekar Babu emphasised that the Chief Minister’s recent anti-drug marathon was meaningless while an alleged drug addict remained in the cabinet.

The agitation was triggered by a video circulating on social media showing Sarath Kumar using a "tablet" when he was watching an IPL match along with his wife and daughter.

Sarath Kumar, who was inducted as Human Resources Management Minister last month in the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led newly formed Cabinet, however, denied that it was a drug.

He later clarified that he had crushed a tablet to administer it in powdered form to his daughter, who became sick during an IPL match.

He had explained that it was a medicine meant for his daughter and not a substance as "wrongly claimed" on social media. It was a two-year-old video that was being circulated now, he added.

DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth flayed the Minister over the viral video and said the footage showing him in a controversial light was "highly condemnable. Public representatives should conduct themselves appropriately," she told reporters earlier.

Interestingly, the video had emerged on the day when the Chief Minister flagged off an anti-drug marathon aiming to create a drug-free Tamil Nadu on 26 June, marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Though Sarath Kumar was not a minister at that time when the incident reportedly happened, since he is a minister now, the public is watching his actions closely, and representatives must act with a sense of duty and responsibility, Premalatha, the 57-year-old legislator from Virudhachalam Assembly constituency, said.