NIA to take over Molotov cocktail attack outside Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan from state police: Sources

Sources say the NIA will take over the case of Molotov cocktail attack outside the Raj Bhavan from state police as the ‘The Explosive Substances Act’ has been invoked in the FIR is a scheduled offence under NIA Act. The Centre can suo-motu can order transfer of the case from the Tamil Nadu Police to the National Investigation Agency.

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the case of Molotov cocktail attack outside Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan from Tamil Nadu police, sources familiar with the development in the Ministry of Home Affairs told ETV Bharat.

The source said ‘The Explosive Substances Act’ invoked in the FIR is a scheduled offence under the NIA Act and that the Centre can suo-motu order the transfer of case from Tamil Nadu Police to the designated investigation agency.

On Friday, the Tamil Nadu police released a video footage related to the Raj Bhavan crude petrol bomb case to present the case that it was a lone-wolf style attack, carried out by Karukka Vinoth.

The video also showed that he was overpowered by the state police who were involved in the bandobust on time, preventing injuries and damage. The police were making a case that there was no security lapse as opposed to the charges levelled by the Raj Bhavan.

In a media interaction, Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal and Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, Sandeep Rai Rathore, released visuals from CCTV cameras that showed the accused walking alone on the Taluk Office Road from Little Mount point towards Sardar Patel Road, where the Raj Bhavan, the official seat of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi is situated.

• Video of how TN police protected the Governor of Tamil Nadu fearlessly. pic.twitter.com/1ZQCeXOCEP

  — Gayathri Raguramm 🇮🇳 (@Gayatri_Raguram) October 27, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Video of how TN police protected the Governor of Tamil Nadu fearlessly. pic.twitter.com/1ZQCeXOCEP

  — Gayathri Raguramm 🇮🇳 (@Gayatri_Raguram) October 27, 2023

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  Video of how TN police protected the Governor of Tamil Nadu fearlessly. pic.twitter.com/1ZQCeXOCEP

  — Gayathri Raguramm 🇮🇳 (@Gayatri_Raguram) October 27, 2023

After a man hurled a 'molotov cocktail' at the main entrance of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's residence in Guindy in Chennai, Raj Bhavan issued a statement saying there were similar attacks in the past while the Opposition criticised the state government over the deteriorating law and order situation.

Raj Bhavan lodged a complaint to the state DGP in this regard stating that at around 2.45 pm on October 25, some miscreants armed with petrol bombs, tried to barge through the main gate No. 1 of the Raj Bhavan, Chennai. However, the alert sentries intercepted and prevented them at the gate thereby helping to avert an untoward incident, the complaint added.