May 22 riots: Six Makkal Adhikaram men held under NSA
As these six men were later found to have instigated violence.
Thoothukudi: In a fresh development, six men owing allegiance to ‘Makkal Adhikaram’ were detained under National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly involving in arson and violence during the May 22 riots in Thoothukudi as the anti-Sterlite protests turned violent that day.
The six functionaries — Kaleel Rahman, Mohammed Younis, Mohammed Ishraf of Melapalayam, 65-km away from Thoothukudi, Velmurugan and Saravanan of Kovilpatti and Sottaiyan from Madurai-, were arrested and lodged at Palayamkottai central prison for involvement in the May 22 riots.
As these six men were later found to have instigated violence, attacked the police and involved in arson, the district collector on the instruction of the State Home Secretary, Mr. Niranjan Mardi, ordered their detention under the NSA.
Similarly, the special police parties investigating the violence have also picked up ten others—Makesh of Kumareddiyapuram, Paulraj of Kumareddiyapuram, Satheesh and Murugesan of Makkal Adhikaram from Oththakadai in Madurai, Gladwin of Panimayanagara, Thoothukudi, Ponraj of Bryantnagar, Thoothukudi, Naam Tamilar Katchi functionaries, Esakkidurai, Pakiyaraj and Pandi of Thoothukudi and Poovalingam of Puthiyamputhur.
The ten men were remanded and sent to Palayamkottai central prison, according to the police, who added that those allegedly involved in violence on May 22 and 23 were being identified by keenly watching the CCTV footage and the video clippings and photographs collected from various sources.
However, condemning the arrest of Makesh and Paulraj of Kumareddiyapuram, around 10 villagers from Kumareddiyapuram, that was the epicenter of the anti-Sterlite protest since February, petitioned the district collector demanding the withdrawal of all the cases slapped on the youths of their village. The Kumareddiyapuram villagers also complained that many in their village have been still held under wrongful custody, without producing them in the court.
The Thoothukudi district collector, Sandeep Nanduri, later responding to this complaint of the Kumareddiyapuram villagers, denied the allegations and added, “no arbitrary arrest was made and no innocent person has been arrested so far.” “However we cannot prevent the police from picking up people against whom the police have proper evidences,” added the district collector.