Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nainar Nagenthran on 21 October 2026 condemned the arrest of Karthika, the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate in the recent Dharapuram Assembly by-election, accusing Chief Minister Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government of deploying the police to settle political scores. The arrest, which opposition parties have labelled an act of political repression, is drawing mounting pressure on the ruling dispensation.

The Arrest and Allegations

Karthika was taken into custody in the early hours of Tuesday, with Nagenthran alleging that police entered her residence at approximately 5 a.m. She had contested the Dharapuram bypoll on behalf of the NTK, and was reportedly arrested in connection with cases registered during the election period. Several other NTK functionaries were also detained in the same operation, according to reports.

Nagenthran questioned the necessity of a pre-dawn house entry, asking: 'What kind of terrorist is Karthika that the police had to enter her house at five in the morning to arrest her?' He argued that investigators could have issued a summons requiring her voluntary appearance, rather than conducting a dramatic early-morning custody operation.

Legal and Constitutional Concerns Raised

The BJP president also alleged that the arrest violated statutory restrictions governing the detention of women between sunset and sunrise. His post on X did not indicate whether police had secured prior judicial authorisation for the overnight arrest, nor did it specify the precise charges framed against her. Under Section 46(4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a woman ordinarily cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise without a prior magistrate's order — a provision Nagenthran cited to question the legality of the operation.

Broader Political Context

Nagenthran's criticism came close on the heels of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)'s own condemnation of the arrest, amplifying opposition pressure on the TVK government. He accused the administration of selectively targeting political rivals while failing to act on allegations of sexual offences and drug-related activities involving ruling-party functionaries — charges the government has not publicly addressed.

Notably, the Dharapuram bypoll result has kept political temperatures elevated in Tamil Nadu, with multiple parties trading accusations over the conduct of law enforcement during and after the election. This is not the first time opposition groups have alleged misuse of police machinery following a close electoral contest in the state.

Women in Public Life and the Government's Record

Nagenthran framed the arrest explicitly as an assault on women's political participation, describing it as harassment and an attempt to silence women who express political opinions. He asked whether the treatment of Karthika — described as a mother of two daughters — reflected the respect the Vijay government extended to women in public life.

He urged Chief Minister Vijay to stop deploying law enforcement according to personal preferences and political dislikes, and instead direct police resources toward genuine public safety concerns. The TVK government has not issued a formal response to the BJP's or AIADMK's statements as of the time of reporting.