DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said that over 50,000 partymen would take part in the ‘fill the jail’ agitation by his party on Wednesday against the foisting of cases and arrest of senior party functionaries.
“It will take place with gusto and over 50,000 party workers have expressed their willingness to participate in the agitation,” he told reporters.
Mr. Karunanidhi said the court had permitted party MPs to take part in the agitation and DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin had also come forward to participate even though he was not well.
A DMK release stated that party MP Kanimozhi would participate in the agitation near Panagal Maligai at Saidapet.
Space created in prisons
Officials in the nine central prisons and other jails are fully geared up for the mass protest, Prison Department sources said. Adequate space had been created in prisons in the event of DMK workers being arrested and remanded. Prison staff would check detainees for banned items, including cell phones, cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Early on Tuesday, a group of convicts staged a hunger strike against the decision of the prison authorities to shift them to the remand prisoners’ section in what they suspected was a move to lodge DMK cadres arrested following the agitation on Wednesday.
The situation was resolved shortly after senior prison staff intervened.
