Tension prevailed at the special camp situated on the central prison premises in Tiruchi on Saturday when a group of Nigerians housed here created a flutter by locking up the inner gate with police and revenue officials inside. They demanded that they be deported to their country at the earliest.
The incident occurred after Karunai Raj, a Malaysian Tamil, allegedly involved in a murder case in Kancheepuram district, was shifted to the Tiruchi special camp from Chengalpattu on Saturday.
Even as a team of police personnel and refugee camp tahsildar Periyasamy were overlooking the accommodation of Karunai Raj in the camp, they were confronted by a group of Nigerians.
The Nigerians reportedly argued with the officials claiming that there was already space constraint within the camp. They wanted to know about their deportation status and demanded that steps to expedite the process be taken soon, said police sources.
Even as officials were trying to explain their position, a group of Nigerians suddenly locked the inner gate.
Upon receipt of information, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Abhinav Kumar accompanied by a posse of police personnel rushed to the camp.
The police officers managed to open the gate and let out the officials, who were holed up inside for nearly two hours. The Deputy Commissioner, who spoke to the Nigerians, cautioned them not to take law into their hands.
The sources said orders for deporting the 12 Nigerians had already been issued adding that only the ticketing arrangement was being worked out. The Nigerians were shifted in batches on different dates last month from the special camp in Chennai to Tiruchi. Apart from them, 19 Sri Lankan Tamils, who tried to illegally migrate to Australia from different parts of the State through boats, are also accommodated in the camp.
