As many as 832 cadres, including 121 women belonging to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its ally Indian National Congress, courted arrest while staging rail rokos at railway stations in various parts of the district on Tuesday. They were pressing for the constitution of the Cauvery Water Management Board. While P. Geetha Jeevan, Thoothukudi MLA led the agitation at Tuticorin Melur station, Anitha R.Radhakrishnan, Tiruchendur MLA led a similar agitation at Tiruchendur station. At Kovilpatti railway station, 78 cadres of People’s Welfare Front (PWF) staged a rail roko.
The Mysore –Thoothukudi express train was delayed by a few minutes after the agitating cadres blocked the track at Thoothukudi Melur station. Similarly at Tiruchendur station, the Tiruchendur – Palakad passenger train was blocked for sometime.
The agitating cadres bearing their party flags raised slogans condemning the Centre for delay in constituting the Board and demanded immediate action to form it. Adequate police force was deployed at the railway stations. The arrested cadres were released later, sources said.
Dindigul
Demanding constitution of Cauvery Management Board, over 200 cadres of CPI(M), MDMK and VCK were arrested as they picketed Mayiladuthurai-bound Mayailaduthurai-Tirunelveli passenger train at the railway station here on Tuesday. They sat on the track and climbed on the engine to show their protest. The train was delayed for about 15 minutes.
They condemned attitude of the Central Government and its negligent attitude towards the people of Tamil Nadu.
In Palani, the police had tough time with VCK cadres as they entered the railway station through unauthorised way and tried to picket Madurai-bound Palani-Madurai passenger train. But the police immediately removed the agitators from the track and allowed the train to pass. Around 39 VCK cadres were arrested.
While the CPI cadres staged a demonstration before the railway station, cadres of the CPI(M) and the MDMK picketed the main road before the Palani post office. Around 100 cadres of the CPI(M) and the MDMK were arrested.
Over 300 cadres of the DMK were arrested when they staged a demonstration before the Canara Bank in Theni.
Ramanathapuram
Around 1,600 volunteers of various political parties courted arrest after blocking trains at different railway stations in Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts on Tuesday.
Volunteers of DMK, Congress, TMC, CPI (M), CPI, VCK, MDMK and Naam Tamizhar Katchi blocked trains at five railway stations in the two districts.
Former Ministers Suba Thangavelan and V. Sathiamoorthy, DMK district secretary Suba Tha Diwakaran, Congress leader Muthuramalingam, TMC leaders A Ravichandra Ramavanni and Kannan Babu were among those 600 who courted arrest when they blocked trains at the Ramanathapuram Railway Station.
Shouting slogans against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery water issue, the volunteers entered the track and blocked the Tiruchi – Ramaeswaram passenger train. Police arrested a batch of Naam Tamizhar Katchi volunteers. The Left parties led the protest in Paramakudi where the police arrested 125 volunteers including 10 women when they blocked trains at Paramakudi Railway station.
Those arrested included CPI (M) district secretary V Kasinathadurai, CPI district secretary N K Rajan, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association district president P K Murugesam, MDMK leader KAM Guna and VCK leader Vengai Siva. At the Rasta Railway Station in Sivaganga district, former DMK minister K R Periyakaruppan and Congress Legislature Party leader K R Ramasamy led over 700 DMK and Congress volunteers and courted arrest.
