Even as she asserted that “absolute restraint” was maintained in Tamil Nadu despite “provocative incidents” in Karnataka, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wrote to her Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah on Monday urging him to ensure the safety and security of Tamil-speaking population residing in the neighbouring State.
“Groups of protesters from Karnataka are regularly assembling at the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border near Hosur and threatening vehicles and commuters from Tamil Nadu. Hotels and properties belonging to Tamils in Karnataka are being attacked and damaged. This is an alarming situation and is causing considerable anxiety,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said in her letter and referred to reports of escalating violence and damaging of vehicles bearing Tamil Nadu number plates, including 40 buses and 45 lorries.
“I request you to take immediate and effective action to provide all necessary protection and security to ensure that no harm is caused to the person and property of Tamil-speaking people in Karnataka,” she said in her letter, and added that “we have ensured that no major incidents of any kind targeting Kannada-speaking people or their properties occurred.” She also maintained that protests by some sections in Tamil Nadu had been “peaceful and lawful.”
As for the incidents in Chennai and Ramanathapuram, Ms. Jayalalithaa said they had “already been acted on very promptly and cases registered and the miscreants arrested. In any event, all precautionary measures have been taken and law and order continues to be well maintained in Tamil Nadu.”
