The police arrested hundreds of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres in the city and other parts of the district when they organised road roko agitations and attempted to burn the effigy of Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal to condemn the attack on M.K. Stalin, working president of the party, during the Assembly proceedings.
The DMK cadres formed human chain and blocked the traffic in front of the Collectorate in the evening. They also attempted to burn the effigy of the Speaker. The Town Police rushed to the spot and picked up 75 of them, including five women.
In Ayothiyapattinam also in the city limits, the police picked up 97 persons, including seven women.
In the Salem rural district limits, the police rounded up more than 1,000 persons from about a dozen centres, including Attur, Mettur, Edappadi, Valappadi, Gangavalli, Thalaivasal, Veeraganur, Yethapur, Tharamangalam, Theevattipatti etc. The police rounded up DMK men who burnt the effigy of the Speaker in Omalur and Attayampatti towns.
Heavy police pickets have been posted in the city and rural towns in the district to prevent any untoward incidents. Police are keeping a tight vigil of the situation, said a senior police officer.
In Namakkal , a large number of DMK cadre were taken into preventive custody when they attempted to block the traffic in Namakkal, Tiruchengode, Rasipuram, Komarapalayam, Paramathivelur, Puduchathiram, and Mallasamuthiram in the district.
The DMK cadre also burnt the effigy of the Speaker in Tiruchengode, Komarapalayam, and Paramathivelur.
Sivakumar, a youth wing office-bearer of the party, suffered burns in the hands when he attempted to set fire to the effigy of the Speaker during the agitation in Komarapalayam, police sources said.
In Erode , about 1000 DMK partymen were arrested when they staged road blockade protest.
In the city limits, 238 partymen led by DMK South District Unit secretary Muthusamy were arrested when they blocked traffic near Periyar Nagar Arch. Similar protests were conducted at 12 other locations across the district.
There was no reports of damage to buses or public property, Superintendent of Police R. Sivakumar said, adding that all the 1,002 arrested persons were released after a short duration.
In Dharmapuri , over 550 DMK cadres, including eight women, courted arrest blockading roads in over 19 locations.
The protesters raised slogans against the Speaker.
Similarly, in Krishnagiri , over 500 DMK cadres courted arrest in 10 locations. Bargur witnessed strong protests against the MLA C.V. Rajendran, and over 100 DMK cadres courted arrest in this constituency.
