About 5,700 persons belonging to farmers’ outfits and opposition parties courted arrest in many parts of central districts on Tuesday after conducting road and rail rokos urging Karnataka to release water in the Cauvery.
The All Farmers’ Coordination Committee had given a call for statewide stir to urge the Centre and the State government to protect the rights of the State in the Cauvery, the Mullaperiyar and the Palar issue, immediate constitution of Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee, and waiver of all loans of farmers.
The DMK, the Congress, the TMC, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, some farmers’ associations and social outfits supported the call for stir even as their cadres participated and got arrested in many places. While over 3,000 persons were arrested in Thanjavur district, over 1,600 were held in Tiruvarur district and nearly 1,000 people were secured in Nagapattinam district for staging rail and rokos.
Cadres jostled with the police in Thanjavur junction when they tried to enter the junction and block the Vasco da Gama-Velankanni Special Express. Some cadres were held when they staged a road roko near the Old Bus Stand while over 100 people were picked up in Budalur when they attempted a rail roko there. Road rokos and demonstrations were held in Orathanad, Tiruvaiyaru, Pattukkottai, Peravaurani, Madukkur and Sethubhavachatram in Thanjavur district. Many shops in Kumbakonam, Tiruvaidaimarudur areas remained shut.
In Tiruvarur district, the cadres attempted a rail roko but the police prevented them and they returned to stage a road roko. Road rokos were held in Mannargudi, Nidamangalam, Tiruthuraipoondi, Kottur and Muthupettai areas while many shops in Valangaiman remained closed. However, there was not much of a response to the bandh call from traders in the districts.
In Nagapattinam district, attempts were made to stage rail roko in Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam while road rokos where held in Nagapattinam, Mayiladurhurai, Sirkali, Kollidam, Keezhvelur, Sellur, Thirumarugal and Vedaranyam.
In Tiruchi, farmers and cadres of the DMK, the TMC and the Socialist Democratic Party of India staged a protest near the Railway Junction. They were prevented from entering the station and were taken into custody. Members of the Makkal Adhigaram and the VCK who staged protests separately near Tiruchi junction were arrested. A group of cadres of the Manithaneya Jananaya Katchi who sat on the road near the Head Post Office were taken into custody.
Police said 200 protestors were arrested. A group of farmers affiliated to the Desiya Thennindiya Nadhigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam launched a relay fast in the city on the same issue. The fast was led by its state president P.Ayyakannu.
