'Undeclared emergency' prevails in TN, farmers’ association general secretary says

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam (TNVS) state secretary P Shanmugam on Wednesday condemned the detention of farmers and TNVS functionaries in Tiruvannamalai, who were on the way to attend a “an indoor meeting” to discuss the pros and cons of the Chennai-Salem greenfield highway. He said “undeclared emergency” prevails in the state.
Sangam’s district president T K Venkatesan, vice-president S Balaraman and 20 others were detained by police ahead of the meeting.

Talking to reporters in Tiruvannamalai, Shanmugam said detaining farmers who were going to take part in an indoor meeting was nothing but “brutal murder of democracy.”

Venkatesan and Balaraman were detained by police when they went to make arrangements for the indoor meeting at a mill in Mangalam police station limits in the district around 9.30am. Police also arrested around 20 farmers who had come from different parts of Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri districts.

“Freedom of speech and expression of views are crushed here. It is against democracy,” said Shanmugam and added that the government had been using the police force to quell the farmers’ protest against the 277.3km greenfield highway that will cut through 159 villages in five districts.

He questioned the need for building a new highway between Chennai and Salem when there are three existing highways.

“The proposed highway is not for the public, but to facilitate multinational companies to mine and transport the rich minerals from the hills in Salem and Tiruvannamalai districts to Chennai Port faster,” he added.

The farmers’ association has decided to lay siege to the district police office demanding the immediate release of the detained people.

Following the detention of over 20 people, members of the farmers’ association – which is affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- shifted the meeting to the CPM office. Nearly 300 farmers from Salem, Dharmapuri, Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai districts took part in it.

All India Kishan Mahasabha’s deputy secretary Vijoo Krishnan and former MLA P Dillibabu also participated in it.