Protesters on Anna Salai in Chennai on Tuesday. (Express Photo)
A THREAT by a Tamil outfit to unleash snakes at the M A Chidambaram stadium capped a day of turbulence in Chennai as hundreds of Cauvery protesters briefly took over key roads leading to the venue in a bid to disrupt the first IPL match of this season in the city.
The snake warning, issued by T Velmurugan of Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK), also sent police scrambling for cover. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior police officer said, “We have deployed a team of snake catchers from the Guindy national park at the stadium.”
Police had to resort to lathicharge at least thrice as people protesting against the Centre’s delay in constituting the Cauvery Management Board tried to evade barricades to approach the road leading to the stadium, where Chennai Super Kings took on Kolkata Knight Riders Tuesday night.
Over 4,000 police personnel were deployed for the match, said officials. By 6 pm, with two hours to go for the start, police arrested over 300 protesters belonging to various groups, including the TVK, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Viduthalai Thamizh Puligal Katchi, Thamizhar Vidiyal Katchi, and at least 10 from actor Rajinikanth’s fans association.The DMK later led a call by Opposition parties for black flags to be waved at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his scheduled visit to the city Thursday. Officials said Modi is likely to travel within the city on a helicopter.
Earlier Tuesday, following an appeal from IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba asked the Tamil Nadu DGP to ensure enhanced security during the IPL matches in Chennai. Hours later, traffic along the key Anna Salai belt came to a standstill as protesters reached the central part of the city on Mount Road, barely a kilometre away from the IPL venue. Senior Tamil leaders, including Naam Thamizhar Katchi’s Seeman, veteran director Bharathiraja and lyricist Vairamuthu, joined the protesters around 4.30 pm. Bharathiraja also unveiled a flag, incorporating symbols of the Chera, Chola, Pandian dynasties, to represent the culture, tradition and literature of Tamils as a rallying point for the protests.
The protesters on Mount Road were carrying placards mocking central ministers and raised slogans alleging that the BJP-led Centre was “cheating Tamils”. “The fight is not against a cricket match and will continue until Tamils get justice and rights from those who hold power,” said Vairamuthu.
Leading his Cauvery protest rally in Thiruvarur district, DMK working president M K Stalin alleged that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami did not even try to meet the Prime Minister to speed up the formation of the water management board.
Addressing a massive rally in Salem, attended by around 10,000 people, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kalazhagam (AMMK) leader T T V Dinakaran said that “anti-people” governments were ruling the state and the Centre. Police in Chennai are already on alert for Thursday, along the airport road as well as East Coast Road, where Modi is expected to visit a defence exhibition being organised in collaboration with other countries, including Russia and the United States. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit the Adyar Cancer Institute.
Considering the call for black flags to be shown, police sources said, the latest plan cleared by the state government shows that the Prime Minister may travel within the city on a helicopter. “We will shift the entire force from the city to the airport and Mahabalipuram after security arrangements for the IPL match end on Tuesday midnight,” said a senior police officer.
The latest round of protests escalated on April 5, when an estimated one lakh people were arrested across Tamil Nadu at the end of a statewide bandh called by Opposition parties and trade unions to protest the Centre’s failure to constitute the Cauvery management board.
On Monday, the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre for not sticking to the March 29 deadline on framing a scheme to implement the award for distribution of the river waters between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The apex court also directed the government to come up with a draft scheme by May 3.
The Centre had earlier cited the assembly elections in Karnataka, and the fear that any announcement on Cauvery may cause “serious law and order problems”, while seeking an extension of the deadline by three months.