The Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan on Thursday said police did not register its complaint on the petrol bomb issue, and alleged a fair probe was “killed” before it began, setting off the latest flashpoint between the ruling DMK and the Governor.

It further alleged that the police diluted the “attack” as an act of simple vandalism and did not take up detailed interrogation.

A man was arrested for throwing a petrol bomb at a gate of the Raj Bhavan in Chennai. The man had tried to do the same thing outside a BJP office in the city a few months ago.

“Police did not register Raj Bhavan complaint on attack. Suo moto diluted the attack as act of simple vandalism and in a hurry got arrested the accused and remanded (him) to jail at midnight waking up the magistrate and prevented detailed interrogation which could expose those behind attack,” the Raj Bhavan posted on X.

“Fair investigation is killed before it began,” it added.

Ruling DMK’s Law Minister S Regupathy, condemning the incident, underlined that there was no security lapse.

“The Raj Bhavan is well protected. Investigation is underway,” the Minister said denying there was any security lapse.

Vinod, the man who has been arrested, was in jail for eight months for throwing petrol bomb outside the BJP office in Chennai last year.

The Minister expressed suspicion if the man suspected to be suffering from mental health issues “was staged to do this to tarnish the state government’s image”.

Responding to Raj Bhavan’s allegations of filthy abuses by DMK leaders and allies on the Governor, Mr Regupathy said, “We have only responded to Governor’s allegations for people to understand. We never spread hatred against him. It’s the Governor who spreads hatred across Tamil Nadu”.

On Wednesday, the Raj Bhavan said it was “attacked”, and that “miscreants carrying bombs tried to barge in through the main gate”.

In the police complaint it targeted the DMK for what it calls “vicious attacks on the Governor using filthy abuses and wielding threats to his life….by leaders and workers of DMK and allies”.

It added: “These threats are intended to overawe the Governor and restrain his constitutional duties”.

Citing past police complaints, the Raj Bhavan said “complaints lodged with the police have been inconsequential due to police inaction”.

Governor R N Ravi has had a series of tussles with the ruling party from delaying assent for bills passed in the assembly to pushing Sanatan Dharma in his speeches, something perceived in Tamil Nadu as an ideology that promotes caste discrimination and oppression.

RN Ravi had also avoided reading names of leaders including Ambedkar, Annadurai and M Karunanidhi in his official assembly speech and walked out when the house moved a resolution to not record his edited speech.

He had also refused to approve release of life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case despite Tamil Nadu cabinet decision and ultimately the Supreme Court released them using its powers.

He touched a raw nerve when he suggested changing the state’s name from Tamil Nadu to Thamizhagam.

Over the last few days, he returned the state government’s file recommending appointment of former DGP Dr Sylendra Babu as the Chairperson of the state public service commission and was tacitly critical of the state government on celebrating freedom fighters from the state.

“We are in power. There is no need for us to hurl petrol bomb and bring bad name on ourselves. This is a stray incident being probed and this doesn’t mean law and order is bad,” said the Minister.

The issue has given ammo to the opposition.

“This is a big example of deterioration of law and order,” said AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami.

BJP State chief K Annamalai alleged “criminals have taken the streets”.

Actor Rajkummar Rao, whose portrayal of an official tasked with conducting polls in the Maoist-affected areas of Chhattisgarh in the Hindi film “Newton” won accolades, was on Thursday inducted as a National Icon by the Election Commission.

Facing youth and urban apathy with many preferring to stay home than turn up at polling stations to cast their votes, the EC appoints prominent Indians as national icons to motivate voters to participate in elections.

The poll panel comprising Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel exchanged a memorandum of understanding with Rajkummar Rao appointing him as an EC icon.

Rajkummar Rao’s portrayal as a principled government clerk who is determined to conduct a free-and-fair election in the Maoist-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, overcoming the cynicism and apathy of a security officer, won accolades.

The movie won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and was also India’s nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 90th Academy Awards, popularly known as Oscars.

Earlier, the EC recognised actors Pankaj Tripathi and Aamir Khan, and sportspersons such as Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and MC Mary Kom, as national icons.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has been summoned by the Lok Sabha ethics committee on October 31 in the “cash for query” controversy. The committee agreed the allegations against Ms Moitra were “very serious”.

In a nearly three-hour-long proceeding today, the committee heard both BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai and discussed every aspect of the allegations they have made against the Trinamool Congress MP, sources said.

The ethics committee chairman Vinod Sonkar told reporters they have sent letters to the Information Technology Ministry and the Home Ministry seeking details on key aspects of the case for a deeper investigation.

“We heard the lawyer and Nishikant Dubey ji. Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, we have decided to summon Mahua Moitra on Tuesday. She should come and present her side of the matter,” Mr Sonkar told reporters after the ethics committee proceeding ended.

Mr Dehadrai, on whose complaint to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the entire case rests, was cross-examined by the ethics committee, while Mr Dubey was allowed to explain his allegations, sources said.

Referring to the CBI complaint, Mr Dubey had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and levelled cash-for-query allegations against Ms Moitra. The Trinamool MP has called the Supreme Court lawyer her “jilted ex”.

Some opposition members raised questions over Mr Dubey’s intent because Ms Moitra had highlighted the issue of his educational qualifications. Mr Dubey, however, said he has already got a clean chit on this matter, sources said. v

The letter claimed to share “irrefutable evidence” of businessman Darshan Hiranandani giving bribes to Ms Moitra to ask questions in parliament. The questions were allegedly designed to target the Adani Group.

The ethics committee will give a report to the Lok Sabha Speaker “as early as possible”, people with direct knowledge of the matter told NDTV, referring to the Pawan Bansal committee that gave its report in just two weeks in December 2005 in the infamous cash-for-questions scam when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power in the centre.

Mr Dehadrai told reporters the proceedings were “cordial and pleasant” and he answered all the questions the ethics committee asked. “Everything was very cordial and they were very pleasant. Some questions were put to me and I have answered those questions,” he said while leaving.

Mr Dubey said he will be available whenever the ethics committee calls him. “They were normal questions… All I can say is the MPs are concerned. When they call me next I will come. The question is whether the propriety and dignity of parliament will hold. It is a question of the dignity of parliament. The ethics committee is more worried than me,” Mr Dubey told reporters.

In an affidavit, Mr Hiranandani alleged the Trinamool MP shared her MP email so that he could send her information and she could raise the questions in parliament. He alleged she later gave him her parliament login and password for him to post the questions directly. The ethics committee reaching out to the Information Technology Ministry and the Home Ministry is linked to the alleged misuse of the parliament login ID and password by Ms Moitra.

Ms Moitra has denied the allegations and said she is prepared for any inquiry. She has also said that she is ready to answer questions from the Lok Sabha ethics committee.

Neither The Trinamool nor its INDIA bloc allies have come out in support of Ms Moitra so far. The Trinamool has said it will not comment on the case. The party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, has said they will take an appropriate decision on the allegations against Ms Moitra after the parliamentary panel completes its investigation.