Over 100 persons, including students and activists, were detained by the city police on Friday evening, when they attempted to stage a protest against the controversial citizenship law and the attack on JNU students in Delhi.
A group of young women and men have been gathering at Valluvar Kottam daily and holding candlelight vigils since Monday. The police had initially allowed them to hold the peaceful protest.
On Thursday, some of them were picked up and detained at a nearby hall, on the ground that no permission was obtained. The police added that they had stepped up vigil after a special sub-inspector was killed by two radical youth in Kanniyakumari. Later, the protesters were released.
Under such circumstances, a group of young men and women gathered again at Valluvar Kottam on Friday to protest. Assistant Commissioner of Police V. Muthuvelpandian told them to disperse and warned them that they would be arrested. He told them that under Section 41 of the City Police Act, assemblies and meetings had been prohibited.
As the protesters repeatedly asked for papers, the police officer said they had assembled unlawfully and had to be arrested. Later, all protesters were taken into custody and kept at a hall. Two hours later, they were all released.
