As many as 25 students from Government Law College, Coimbatore, were arrested after they forcefully entered the premises of Tirupur North police station on Friday.
The students claimed that the police officials at the station behaved rudely to P. Gopinath, a final year law student, on Thursday night.
Gopinath told reporters that he went to the station to enquire about a friend who was picked up by the police for questioning in connection with a quarrel between two groups of youth in the city.
Three police personnel, Special Sub-Inspector Kalavathi, and constables Aadhi Lakshmi and Nitya, sustained injuries when they tried to prevent the agitated students from entering the office of Sub-Inspector at the station and from damaging the property. They were taken to the hospital.
Internet cable wires and pots kept at the station were damaged.
After the police drove them away, the students staged a road blockade agitation in front of the station and were arrested.
Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Singh told reporters that cases were charged against the students under Sections 332, 353, 323, 324, 147, 148, 294 (b), 354, 452 and 336 of Indian Penal Code and Sections of Tamil Nadu Women Harassment Act for causing damage to public property, obstructing police officials, indecent behaviour to women police personnel, causing injuries to police officials and using offensive words.
Mr. Singh said that Gopinath, along with two other law students, came to the station and argued with a woman Sub-Inspector asking to release a friend who was brought to the station by the police from near railway station.
The police officials brought the youth because he was standing among the two quarrelling groups of students, belonging to a private college in Coimbatore, he said.
“When it was found that the youth was innocent, the police officials asked his father to come and take him home.
In the meantime, Gopinath and others came to the station with a demand that the youth should be left with them, which was refused by the officials.
This infuriated Gopinath, who said that the police were not respecting students of law and came for the agitation on Friday morning,” Mr. Singh added.
