Chennai:

A Molotov cocktail, called ‘petrol bomb’ in local parlance, was lobbed by a man in front of the Raj Bhavan’s main gate on Wednesday, an incident which drew the opposition’s ire over the handling of law and order by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.

The Raj Bhavan asserted it was “attacked” and that “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,” a post on Raj Bhavan’s official ‘X’ handle claimed.

Opposition AIADMK and BJP slammed the government over the incident that happened outside the official residence of the State Governor.

There was no damage, injuries to anyone and there was no security lapse, a senior police official said, adding the man who threw the petrol bomb was immediately overpowered. He was identified as ‘Karukka’ Vinoth, a man with many pending cases against him.

On Sardar Patel Road, on the opposite side of the Raj Bhavan, the man tried to throw a bottle by around 3 PM and it was immediately noticed by policemen on duty near the main gate, Prem Anand Sinha, Additional Commissioner of Police (South), told reporters.

While alert police personnel were apprehending him, the man hurled the bottle which landed in front of the barricade placed before the main gate of the Raj Bhavan and there was no damage and no one was injured.

“There was no fire…there was some flame only on the wick, the bottle fell down and broke. He was caught and he had some more bottles and these were seized,” ‘Karukka’ Vinoth, aged 42, faces 14 criminal cases and he was out on bail recently. He is a resident of Teynampet here, a City Police release said.

Vinoth was the accused in two similar incidents, including the one relating to the BJP office here over a year ago.

Within the past one week, he was freed from jail after he secured bail. Before the incident on Wednesday, he consumed liquor and he is being questioned on his motive, Sinha said.

“Only one petrol bomb was used; it did not create any impact the way the accused expected,” he said and ruled out any security lapse.

A case has been registered and the accused was remanded in custody.

Asked if he had any idea about the Governor’s ‘movement’ outside of the Raj Bhavan and whether he had come prepared anticipating any such thing, the official said ‘it does not appear to be so.’ Opposition parties strongly condemned the incident and criticised the government over ‘deterioration’ of law and order.

Leader of Opposition and AIADMK chief, Edappadi K Palaniswami said a scenario of ‘insecurity’ prevailed for the Raj Bhavan itself, meant to be a high-security campus. Expressing shock, he said the incident illustrated ‘deterioration’ of law and order in Tamil Nadu.

Former chief minister O Panneerselvam also blamed the alleged deterioration of law and order. VK Sasikala, confidante of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa said the incident was tantamount to intimidating the Governor.

BJP state president K Annamalai said on X: “Incidentally, it is the same person who attacked @BJP4TamilNadu headquarters in Chennai in Feb 2022, is held responsible for the attack on Raj Bhavan today, ” he added.

Union Minister L Murugan also slammed the DMK government vis-a-vis law and order.

A Molotov cocktail is an incendiary device, usually filled with petrol and a piece of cloth is used as a wick to light it. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)