Traffic on Kathipara Junction and connecting roads came to a grinding halt for over an hour on Wednesday morning after a section of students of the derecognised DD Medical College staged a protest demanding they be allowed to meet the Chief Minister.
According to police sources, around 11.30 a.m., six male students climbed on to the Metro Rail viaduct near the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University even as over 30 students sat on a road roko on the road below. While the six threatened to jump down, the others blocked traffic demanding to meet the CM.
Traffic on the stretch came to a standstill for nearly an hour, creating a bottleneck for over two kilometres. Over 50 police personnel including senior officers rushed to the spot and persuaded the students to give up the protest in the light of the traffic chaos. “Some students attempted suicide on the spot by slicing their wrists with razors. They were rushed to the Government Royapettah Hospital while the others were arrested and removed from the road. A Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services team pinned down the six protestors on the Metro Rail line and brought them down safely. They were also handed over to the police,” said an officer on the spot.
Traffic returned to normal only around 1.30 p.m.. Later in the evening, the students met Commissioner of Police S. George at his office in Vepery with their grievances. They were shifted to a marriage hall in Maduvankarai, Guindy.
