DMk treasurer and former Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, his party MLAs and other functionaries were arrested in Chennai on Monday during a protest demanding the Centre to constitute a Cauvery management board.
Various farmers' organisations and Opposition parties on Monday began a 48-hour rail blockade in various parts of the State, demanding the constitution of a Cauvery board.
Former DMK Minister K.N. Nehru courted arrest after attempting a blockade at the Srirangam Railway Station. Senior DMK leader Durai Murugan was arrested after a rail blockade at the Katpadi junction.
Officials stated that there was no disruption of rail services. Over 2,000 farmers and cadres of various parties were arrested in the central region comprising eight districts.
The updates
3.40 p.m.: Over 5,000 persons have been arrested in Chennai.
1.21 pm: More arrests were made at Pollachi, Mettupalayam and Sulur Railway Stations in Coimbatore district.
1.10 pm: In Cuddalore, over 700 farmers and cadres of political parties tried to enter the railway station for staging a rail roko.Police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Nearly 300 persons were arrested, police said. In Erode district, several farmers and Opposition party workers who attempted to enter the Erode Railway Station were arrested by the police.
1.09 pm: The Madurai City Police resorted to lathi charge to disperse a crowd belonging to various Opposition parties, when they insisted on staging a rail roko and attempted to enter the railway junction here, they said. Around five persons suffered simple injuries in the lathi charge.
(Farmers planting paddy on the raliway track at Kudamuruti as part of a demonstration on Monday.)
12.47 pm: Over 2000 farmers and cadres of various parties were arrested in the central region comprising eight districts till 12.30 pm. Maximum number of arrests were made in Thanjavur district with the figure exceeding 1400.
12.31 pm: Makkal Nala Kuttani volunteers stage a rail roko in Ramanathapuram against the Central government.
11.59 am: Former Speaker R. Avudaiyappan, Palayamkottai MLA T. P. M. Mohideen Khan, former MLA Appavu arrested in front the Tirunelveli railway Junction along with 250 cadres.
(Farmers and DMK MLA Ma. Subramaniyan and other cadres stage a rail roko at the Saidapet Railway station demanding the constitution of a Cauvery management board on Monday. Photo: M. Karunakaran)
11.47 am: Senior DMK leader Durai Murugan was arrested after a rail roko at the Katpadi junction on Monday.
11.43 am: DMK cadres, led by Puducherry convenor (South) R. Siva and S.P. Sivakumar (North), stage a rail roko against the Central tovernment over the Cauvery issue, in Puducherry.
(DMK cadres headed by DMK Puducherry convenor (South) R. Siva and S.P. Sivakumar (North), stage a rail roko in Puducherry on Monday. Photo: S.S. Kumar)
11,28 am: Vehicular traffic on West Veli street comes to a grinding halt as PWFcadres block road in Madurai.
11.10 am: Angered over the police using force against one of their members who jumped over the barricades, cadres of People's Welfare Front broke the police cordon and got into the main concourse hall of the Madurai Railway Station.
(People's Welfare Front members protest at the Madurai Railway Station on Monday.)
10.52 am: Leader of Opposition and DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin and six MLAs court arrest.
10.49 am : A goods train bound for Mecheri in Salem district was detained for over an hour at Kudamurutti near Tiruchi after a group of farmers lie down on the track and plant saplings on the track to record their protest. Around 50 farmers affiliated to Desiya Thennindhiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasaya Sangam were arrested.
10.45 am: Tamil Maanila Congress cadres court arrest near the Egmore Railway Station.
10.43 am: The Kancheepuram district DMK secretary and Alandur MLA T.M. Anbarasan leads the protest in the Tambaram Railway station.
10.40 am: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly M.K.Stalin, along with party MLAs, takes out a procession to the Perambur Railway Station. They are likely to court arrest. >Read more
10.35 am: Tension prevails near the Perambur Railway Station as DMK cadres led by Mr.Stalin broke the cordon of the police and blocked an EMU train bound for Avadi.
(Various farmers' organisations block a rail near Thanjavur Railway Station on Monday. Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam)
10.00 am : VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan and his supporters attempt to block rail services near Basin Bridge, Chennai.
9.45 am: CPI state secretary Mutharasan leads a rail roko at the Tiruvarur Railway station. Mr. Mutharasan urges the State government to convene an all-party meet to mount pressure on Centre to form a Cauvery management board.
9.40 am: Farmers belonging to Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam resort to novel protest by cooking food on the track in Thanjavur.
9.36 am: Around 600 farmers and members of various political parties arrested at different places in Thanjavur district after they sit on railway track.
9.35 am: A large number of farmers were arrested in central region, including Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, after they resort to rail roko. The other parties who participated in the protest are TMC and People's Welfare Front.
9.33 am: Farmers stage a blockade at the Thanjavur Railway station, raising slogans urging Centre not to cheat Tamil Nadu farmers.
(Former DMK Minister K.N. Nehru being arrested near the Srirangam Railway Station on Monday. Photo: M. Srinath)
The protests come days after a high-level technical team, set up by the Supreme Court, completed its inspection of the Cauvery basin region in Tamil Nadu to assess the situation in the State.
The team, which also inspected the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, is set to submit its report in the apex court on Monday.
The apex court had set up the team while hearing a petition by Tamil Nadu government seeking the release of Cauvery water by Karnataka.
(With inputs from PTI)
