Opposition turns city roads, railway stations into protest venues

COIMBATORE: Massive protests marked the dawn to dusk bandh called by the opposition parties on Thursday with cadres belonging to DMK, Congress, VCK, CPI, CPM and various outfits taking to the streets to vent their anger on the central government for not constituting the Cauvery Management Board within the six-week deadline fixed by the Supreme Court on February 16.
More than 4,500 of them were detained and lodged in various marriage halls as they staged road roko and rail blockades both in urban and rural parts of the district. They were, however, let off in the evening.

As the protest against the Centre entered the fifth day, road and rail blockades were witnessed at 60 places in the district.

More than 400 DMK cadres led by former minister Pongalur N Palanisamy staged a rail roko at Coimbatore North railway station. They blocked a passenger train running between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore. Due to the protest, the train was delayed by 10 minutes.

In another instance, 100 Congress workers led by the party’s urban district president Mayura S Jayakumar attempted to stage a rail blockade at the city railway junction. They managed to enter the platform number 1 and squat on the railway track. Police, however, forcibly removed and detained them.

DMK youth wing members led by its co-ordinator Kottai Abbas, meanwhile, staged a novel protest near Uppilipalayam Junction on Avinashi Road. Some of them came to the protest venue with toy rats in their mouths and by adorning themselves with neem leaves. They also served porridge to the members who lay in the middle of the road to disrupt vehicular movement. The police detained and removed them to clear the traffic.

DMK women’s wing deputy secretary Meena Logu and other party members picketed the passport office on Avinashi Road, while Singanallur MLA N Karthik staged a road roko near Lanka Corner. The protesters raised slogans against the union government, for its failure to constitute the CMB.

Extending their support, more than 300 lawyers attached to the Coimbatore Bar Association (CBA) observed fast on the court premises. More than 3,000 members of CBA had earlier decided to boycott the court proceedings until April 7.