As planned, Gandhian Sasiperumal and his supporters could not kick start a Statewide awareness campaign from the city on Saturday. His supporters said that the Coimbatore City Police had given them permission to conduct only an hour-long meeting in Gandhipuram on Saturday.
The supporters said that when they applied to the City Police, they were told that only the Director General of Police had the powers to grant the permission for a Statewide awareness rally.
The City Police had no jurisdiction or powers to grant such permission.
Following the police orders, the Gandhian and his supporters conducted an hour-long campaign in the city. Later with the help of various associations, residents association and other organisations they distributed handbills, though the police advised them against doing so.
His supporters said that it was unfair on the part of the City Police to prevent them from distributing handbills when business establishments did so. They said that the police had also advised them using hand microphones.
The Gandhian’s plan was to start the awareness campaign on April 6 — the day Mahatma Gandhi picked up salt at Dandi — march across the State conducting awareness campaign and end the same in Chennai on January 30, 2014.
The supporters said that they would nevertheless go ahead and conduct the campaign. On Sunday, they would campaign in residential localities along Maruthamalai Road and Thondamuthur Road before proceeding to Perur. At the start of the campaign at Gandhipuram, Mr. Sasiperumal had support from representatives of Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Indu Makkal Katchi, Anti-Corruption Movement, Aam Admi Party, SDPI, various Gandhian movements and Actor Vijay’s fans’ association.
