A portion of the Dinakaran office on fire. (PTI)

Chennai, May 9: A sinister succession war in the family has spilled blood on the golden moment of one of the most celebrated politicians of southern India.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi watched in horror today as a mob claiming allegiance to his eldest son firebombed a newspaper office for publishing an opinion poll that put another son far ahead in the succession race.

Three people, including two computer professionals, were killed in the raid on the office of the Tamil daily, Dinakaran, owned by Karunanidhi’s grandnephew and a scion of the Maran family.

The survey — Who should be Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s political heir in the DMK? — conducted by AC Nielsen in association with the newspaper recorded 70 per cent “people’s support” for the DMK chief’s younger son, M.K. Stalin.

This reportedly infuriated supporters of Karunanidhi’s Madurai-based son, M.K. Azhagiri, who was preferred by only 2 per cent of the respondents.

Apparently led by a man known as “Attack Pandi”, a group stormed the complex housing the offices of Dinakaran, its sister publication Tamil Murasu and the Tamil television network Sun TV in the temple town and hurled “fiery” objects. Police said it was not clear whether they used Molotov cocktails.

As thick smoke engulfed the computer section of the Dinakaran office on the first floor, two employees — 23-year-old Vinod and 24-year-old Gopinath — got trapped inside and died of suffocation, the police said. Later, a 44-year-old guard, Muthuramalingam, was also found dead.

Supporters of Azhagiri, who is virtually the DMK boss in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, also blocked roads in Madurai and threw stones at several government buses in the town and on its outskirts, sources said.

Karunanidhi condemned the violence and threatened to call off celebrations slated for Friday to mark the 50th year of his entry into the Assembly.

DMK sources said Azhagiri and Stalin, though once estranged, had buried their differences recently and they suspected “a conspiracy” to drive a wedge between the brothers.

No one would go on record on the sensitive matter but many suggested that the role of “others” belonging to the larger family of the patriarch should be probed.

Dinakaran was bought over a year ago by the Sun Network Group headed by Kalanidhi Maran, brother of Union IT minister and DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran.

The newspaper had published an earlier part of the survey yesterday in which Dayanidhi was seen as the most efficient leader while the PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss, the Union health minister, was at the bottom of the list. Angry PMK supporters had gone berserk in Dharmapuri and burned copies of the daily.

Karunanidhi had then distanced himself from the survey, saying: “I have no faith in opinion polls and people are better judges.”

The attack seems to have pushed Sun Network, controlled by the Maran family, into a no-holds-barred battle with Azhagiri.

“Azhagiri has been named main accused in the complaint given by the company to police,” Sun Network chief operating officer R.M. Ramesh said.

He alleged that Azhagiri had been giving instructions over the phone when the mob struck. “We have proof as to who directed and who executed the arson. We have photographs as well,” Ramesh said.

Sun owner Kalanidhi did not level any direct charge against the Karunanidhi family but said he agreed with the employees’ allegation that the police “remained mute spectators”. As the state is ruled by Karunanidhi, the statement could be construed as criticism of the government.

Azhagiri appeared unfazed, saying “there is an ulterior motive to the survey”.

In today’s survey, 20 per cent of the respondents preferred “others” in the DMK to succeed the 84-year-old Karunanidhi as the party leader without specifying any name.

Another 2 per cent backed his poet-daughter Kanimozhi, who recently made a low-profile entry into the leadership race, while 6 per cent said they did not support anybody.

Sources said today’s incidents have broken the fragile peace in Karunanidhi’s family. Observers thought the other main contenders for the top slot, Azhagiri and Kanimozhi, had closed ranks with Stalin while Dayanidhi would handle issues in Delhi.

Azhagiri, an accused in the murder of former DMK MP Pasumponn T. Kiruttinan, is known to be a much more dynamic party functionary than Stalin, who has been staying in his father’s shadow for too long now.

But Azhagiri apparently had been reconciled to the possibility of his younger brother taking over the mantle from their father.