Tension prevailed on the Marina on Sunday evening after members of the May 17 Movement attempted to organise a candlelight vigil on the beach.
Road users were put to a lot of hardship with Kamarajar Salai becoming a heavily fortified zone after a large number of police personnel were deployed to prevent the unlawful assembly of people.
M. Abilash, a resident of Adyar, said it took him more than an hour to reach Wallajah Road in Triplicane from Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore, due to the protest.
“I had to reach Anna Salai by 5.30 p.m. But I was not able to do so since it took me an hour to weave through traffic on the narrow lanes of Triplicane after Kamarajar Salai was blocked,” he said.
The May 17 Movement had planned to hold the vigil as part of the 8th anniversary of the killing of Sri Lankan Tamils in the conflict between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
200 arrested
A senior officer of the city police said more than 200 persons, including Thirumurugan Gandhi of May 17 Movement and Thamizhaga Vaazhurimai Katchi founder T. Velumurugan, were taken into custody after they tried to assemble unlawfully.
Commissioner of Police A.K. Viswanathan had issued an order on May 19 under section 41 of the Tamil Nadu City Police Act, 1888, regulating processions, demonstrations, fasts, human chain meetings and large assemblies for a period of 15 days starting May 19 to June 3.
The order requires that any organisation intending to hold meetings must take permission by applying to the Police Commissioner five days in advance. In the absence of permission, the assembly would be treated as unlawful.
