THANJAVUR: DMK state women's wing secretary Karl Marx (64) was arrested in Thanjavur on Friday for making an inflammatory speech in a close-door meeting at the DMK headquarters on May 19. As per reports that appeared in a section of the media, she had allegedly said she would turn into a human bomb to kill chief minister J Jayalalithaa . Marx was apparently pulled up by Karunanidhi then and there for her outburst and was also made to apologise before asking her to leave the meeting. Marx is an old party functionary and knows the DMK chief for the past four decades.

The reports that appeared in the media caught the attention of Teynampet police, who registered a case and started investigations. The police team led by assistant commissioner Sivabaskar arrested Marx from her residence in TNHB colony in Thanjavur early in the morning. They said an advocate, Selva Kumar, had filed a complaint against her. She has been taken to Chennai.

Over the years, Marx has worked at various levels in the party. Only recently she was appointed state secretary of the party's women's wing. She was a councillor of Thanjavur municipality earlier. During the last local body polls, her daughter-in-law Kanagavalli Balaji contested unsuccessfully for the post of Thanjavur municipal chairperson. Marx's husband Dharmar died a few years ago.

Three time Thiruvaiyaru MLA Durai Chandrasekar of the DMK said Marx used to travel all over the state and speak in colloquial language in public meetings, which endeared the downtrodden. "From what I gather, this is the first time a case is being filed against her for speaking ill of anybody," said Chandrasekar.

The Central Crime Branch personnel registered a case under the Section 124 (A) (sedition) and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation), based on the complaint of a Madras high court lawyer, Selvakumar.