Senthil Balaji has given names of ED officials who assaulted him: TN SHRC member

The commission’s member V Kannadasan met the minister, who was arrested on charges of money laundering, in the Omandurar government medical hospital in Chennai on Thursday.

The minister was admitted to the hospital after 2:30am after 18 hours of questioning.

Balaji narrated the assault incident to Kannadasan claiming that the ED officials pushed him to the floor and dragged him due to which he was wounded behind his head and ear.

“I couldn’t see the wounds because he was lying down, and he couldn’t speak much because of his chest pain. But I have investigated him, and he has given me the names of officials who he said assaulted him,” said Kannadasan.

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“The commission will make a decision on this tomorrow”, Kannadasan added.

The ED has said it has evidence to show that Balaji is guilty in a money laundering case when he was transport minister in the previous AIADMK regime from 2011-2015 where he conspired to take money from candidates in exchange for jobs in his department but they neither got jobs nor a refund.

Balaji underwent a coronary angiogram on Wednesday at the Omandurar government hospital in Chennai and a bypass surgery was advised.

Balaji’s senior counsel ER Elango has moved a petition in court seeking to shift him to a private hospital.

He is currently undergoing treatment in the government hospital.

“He does look like he requires emergency medical intervention,” added the commission’s member.

Tamil Nadu’s opposition AIADMK has objected to the meeting saying that advocate Kannadasan favours the ruling DMK.

People of Tamil Nadu want minister Balaji to resign, said AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar.

“If he has done nothing wrong, let him face the case legally instead of doing such drama.”