Chennai: Film director, others arrested for agitation on farmers issue

Chennai: Tamil film director V Gauthamanand his supporters were arrested here on Thursday when they blocked a key flyover by squatting on the road and also locking it up.

The agitation led to traffic congestion on the Kathipara flyover, which connects the suburban parts to the main city.

Gowthaman and about 20-odd of his supporters staged the sudden agitation expressing solidarity with farmers protesting in Delhi and also pressed for a slew of demands including constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), police said.

The protesters blocked the road on either sides of the road by locking it up with a long chain. However, police later broke the lock to enables resumption of vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, members of Thanthai Periar Dravida Kazhagam staged a "half-naked" protest on the farmers' issue outside Shastri Bhavan, which houses many central government departments, here.

The activists, among others, pressed for farm loan waiver and also raised slogans against the Central government for not paying heed to the riots' demands.