Police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse retrenched government employees who tried to forcefully enter the Assembly on Thursday morning. A total of 78 people were arrested.
The association of 4,000 retrenched government employees from various departments and corporations who have been demanding that they be given employment for the past couple of years on Thursday tried to forcibly enter the Assembly building to meet Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, the police said.
According to one of the protesters, the employees had been promised that the government would take a decision as soon as the Chief Secretary returned from New Delhi on Monday. But, the Chief Secretary had postponed his return and the government had refused to give an answer, which led to the protest.
Later, Congress leaders met the employees.