Thanjavur, Aug. 4 -- In a high-stakes legal and political standoff that sent ripples through Tamil Nadu's political landscape, DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly here, Udhayanidhi Stalin, was released after questioning by police related to offensive remarks against a film actor

The detention, which saw the leader being whisked away from his Chennai residence to Thanjavur, marks a significant escalation in the friction between the DMK and the women's wing of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

It is alleged that a double-meaning remark was made during a Cauvery protest meeting, a comment the DMK claims has been maliciously "edited" and "misrepresented," but which complainants argue crossed the line of public decency....