Social activist “Traffic” Ramaswamy on Tuesday sought action against Tiruppur District Collector K.S. Palanisamy for allowing land surveys to lay high tension power lines on agricultural lands.
In a petition submitted to Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar, he also sought action against the police officers who “forcibly” removed protesters when they opposed the surveys.
Mr. Ramasamy told mediapersons that police and officials from the district administration entered the farmlands on the grounds that they were authorised by the Collector to do so, though without the permission of the farmers.
On Friday, police arrested five members of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Protection Association from Dharapuram and remanded them in the Coimbatore Central Prison.
The five were booked under Sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 447 (Punishment for criminal trespass) and 147 (Punishment for rioting) of the Indian Penal Code.
