It didn't quite come like the midnight knock of June 30, 2001 when the Tamil Nadu Police came to arrest his father. But when the police scaled the gates of his Velacheri house on the outskirts of Chennai late at night on April 9, former mayor and DMK youth wing leader M.K. Stalin, son of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, knew he would be arrested. Hundreds of DMK supporters stood guard but nothing could stop the police force led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Shanmugharajeswaran from carrying out "orders from the top".

THE SHOW GOES ON: Stalin strikes a pose after surrendering

And with that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has reminded her political foes-and any prospective ones-that revenge is something that seldom dies in her scheme of things. Stalin, a legislator from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai, was arrested along with DMK MLAs K. Ponmudi, J. Anbazhagan, S.A.M. Hussain, B. Barani and E.V. Velu on charges of "trespassing" on Queen Mary's College (QMC) grounds.

The previous day, Stalin and the others had visited QMC to offer the DMK's support to the students protesting against the Government decision to demolish the college and build the new state secretariat on the premises. The Government, which closed down the college and hostel to flush out the students, however, had to reopen it after the Madras High Court on April 10 ordered resumption of classes.

While the Government defended itself in the court case after the hearing on April 9, Stalin's arrest was being plotted elsewhere. Thanks to a few policemen who regularly tip off DMK leaders, the plans of a pre-dawn operation leaked out. Hundreds of DMK supporters had gathered at Stalin's residence by 10.30 p.m., before the police began to surround the place. The supporters locked the gates from inside and put up a resistance for an hour. Eventually, some policemen scaled the gates, lathi-charged the crowd and broke the lock, letting in reinforcements. Yet, the police could not enter the house as the supporters blocked the main door. After much high drama, Stalin came out at midnight to be arrested and taken to the 13th Metropolitan Magistrate's residence.

But only after he spoke his piece. "I have seen jails many times before," Stalin said, waving to supporters before boarding the police van. He was remanded in custody for 15 days and sent to the Cuddalore prison. "I told the magistrate that the police might harm us in custody," he told reporters. "The Jayalalithaa Government will do anything. So we preferred judicial custody."

This is one of the many times Jayalalithaa has caught the father-son duo in the crosshairs. A little more than a month after she came to power in 2001, Karunanidhi and Stalin were arrested in the wee hours of June 30 in the flyover scam. TV channels repeatedly telecast footage showing the former chief minister being dragged out of his residence along with Union ministers Murasoli Maran and T.R. Baalu.

Karunanidhi says neither he nor the DMK will plead for Stalin's release. "This Government has been dealing with the opposition in the most undemocratic manner ever since it assumed power. We will fight legally. This Government should go."

Analysts may feel it was foolish of Jayalalithaa to link the hot QMC issue with Stalin, since it would help the DMK youth wing leader emerge a living martyr for a cause that is becoming a people's movement. But then, Jayalalithaa has always preferred vengeance to political shrewdness.