Chennai police have booked senior BJP leaders H Raja, Pon Radhakrishnan, CP Radhakrishnan, L Ganesan and 300 others for staging a protest at Marina Beach on Wednesday. The leaders had staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue demanding the arrest of Tamil orator Nellai Kannan over his controversial speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. 

The leaders were booked under Indian Penal Code Section 143 (Punishment — Whoever is a member of an unlawful assembly, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both), Section 145 (Joining or continuing in unlawful assembly, knowing it has been commanded to disperse) and Section 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint).

The leaders had made their way to the beach, where protests have been banned by the Madras High Court, from their party office in T Nagar on Wednesday. Sitting on a dharna, the group raised slogans urging police to arrest Kanna immediately for his remarks at the SDPI meeting on Sunday.

Hours later, writer Nellai Kannan was arrested by a police team in Perambalur district in connection with complaints against him by the BJP and the ruling AIADMK. 

Based on a complaint lodged by BJP District President (Tirunelveli) Daya Shankar on Monday, an FIR had been registered against Nellai Kannan. He was booked under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505(1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility), and 505 (2) (statements which create or promote enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code. 

A day later, on Tuesday, Nellai Kannan was admitted to a private hospital after he complained of health issues.

(With PTI inputs)