Cadre of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged protests across the central region on Tuesday in support of their charter of demands including compensation for farmers who died due to crop failure.
Over 3,000 party functionaries were arrested in the region after they attempted to picket revenue offices and staged road rokos demanding the central and state governments to implement their charter of demands.
The protests were held in over 60 places in Tiruchi, Perambalur, Karur, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.
The protesting CPI-M functionaries demanded the government to provide ₹10 lakh as compensation for each of the family of over 200 farmers in the State who died due to crop failure in view of severe drought.
Demanding complete waiver of crop loans, the protesters wanted the government to provide farmers compensation to the tune of ₹ 25,000 per acre for paddy; ₹50,000 per acre for cane and ₹75,000 for banana.
They also demanded that compensation of ₹15,000 be provided to every family of farm labourers who were rendered jobless. They wanted the government to engage farm labourers for desilting waterbodies. They urged the Centre not to compel people to shift to digital transactions.
They also demanded necessary action against those police personnel who attacked the protesting students and youth in Chennai recently demanding the conduct of jallikattu. Police sources said the party functionaries staged road rokos at 13 places across the central region.
In Tiruchi City, a group of 250 CPI(M) functionaries led by the party’s politburo member K. Varadarajan were arrested after they attempted to picket the Tiruchi East taluk office.
The party members assembled near the Gandhi Market arch and attempted to take out a procession to picket the taluk office when they were arrested.
In neighbouring Thanjavur district, the protests were held at 15 places with the police arresting over 700 cadre. Protests were held at places including Thanjavur, Pattukottai, Kumbakonam, Papanasam and Orathanadu.
Over 700 party functionaries were arrested in coastal Nagapattinam district, while the number of those arrested in Tiruvarur district was more than 250.
More than 375 cadre were arrested in Pudukottai district and over 250 in Karur district.
