A man has been detained for attempting to throw 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.
Officials said the incident took place around 2.45 pm on Wednesday and the man attempted to throw the bomb near the Raj Bhavan’s main gate, which is used by Governor RN Ravi.
“The man, identified as one Vinod, will be sent for an examination of his mental health,” said a police official, adding that he is likely to be arrested soon.
The incident comes in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu governor returning, for the second time, a state government file recommending former director general of police C Sylendra Babu’s appointment as chairman of the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.
When the recommendation was sent for the first time, soon after Mr Babu’s retirement at the end of June, Mr Ravi had questioned the criteria for his selection as well as those of other candidates for the post, and asked whether Supreme Court guidelines had been followed.
The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government had denied that any guidelines had been violated and pointed out that the Governor has no prerogative in such matters and has to abide by the recommendations of the elected government.
Tensions have been high between the MK Stalin government and Mr Ravi since January, when the governor skipped portions of text during his customary address to the state Assembly. There have been other flashpoints since then as well, including when the governor allegedly suggested changing the name of the state to ‘Tamilagam’.
The DMK government has alleged that Mr Ravi behaves like an agent of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Singh (RSS) and the BJP.
