‘No Detention Order, No MISA Arrest’: TN Minister Challenges Stalin

Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar on Saturday challenged DMK president M K Stalin to produce the official detention order to substantiate the long-standing claim that he was imprisoned under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting preparations for the Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple consecration ceremony scheduled for September 17, Kumar questioned the absence of an official detention document.

“The fundamental question is whether he was detained under MISA or not,” Kumar said, arguing that a formal detention order would have been issued if Stalin had been arrested under the stringent law.

He alleged that the DMK was attempting to project Stalin as a political martyr based on claims that, according to him, were not supported by official records.

Kumar also rejected reliance on secondary material, including references to the Sarkaria Commission and reports published in the DMK mouthpiece Murasoli. He said newspaper reports and witness accounts could not substitute for an official detention order.

His remarks come amid heightened political tensions in Tamil Nadu over Stalin’s imprisonment during the Emergency. The issue resurfaced in the Legislative Assembly after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay referred to Sarkaria Commission documents while discussing the MISA arrests, triggering protests and slogan-shouting by DMK legislators.

Stalin has recently defended his Emergency-era prison record in a public video, recalling alleged custodial violence and saying his jaw was fractured while he was in jail.

Kumar also targeted the DMK and AIADMK over their candidates for upcoming by-elections. He described DMK nominee Paranthaman as an “outsider” and alleged that the party was relying on excessive spending and the controversial ‘Thirumangalam formula’ to influence voters.

He claimed voters would reject such tactics at the ballot box.