Kathmandu— Tamil Nadu Assembly Leader of Opposition and DMK MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin was detained by police on Tuesday following allegations that he made derogatory comments about actor Trisha during a public address. The Thanjavur (East) police took Stalin into custody from his residence in Chennai, where he is expected to face questioning regarding an FIR registered over the incident.

Police Custody and Legal Action

Stalin was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 61 for public mischief, Section 79 for criminal intimidation, and Sections 192 and 196 for defamation. He also faced charges under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act and the Information Technology Act.

Speaking to reporters after his detention, Stalin denied making any derogatory remarks about Trisha and accused the media of spreading fake news by editing and misrepresenting his speech.

Political Reactions

The controversy has sparked sharp political reactions. BJP leaders and members of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) have demanded an apology from Stalin, while the DMK maintains that his comments were misinterpreted.

Rhevanth Charan, a TVK MLA, called Stalin's remarks 'disgusting' and accused the DMK leadership of lowering political standards. In response, TKS Elangovan, a DMK spokesperson, defended Stalin’s speech, stating that it was directed at criticizing the government's failures rather than targeting Trisha.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.