CHENNAI: The
Tiruvannamalai taluk police on Tuesday detained two reporters and a cameraman covering farmers’ protest against the Rs 10,000crore Chennai-Salem
greenfield expressway. Two others, who accompanied the
journalists, were also detained.
Malayalam TV channel Mathrubhumi’s reporter Anup Doss, cameraman Murugan and their driver, Tamil newspaper Theekathir’s reporter Ramadass and CITU’s Tiruvannamalai district vice-president Anandan Vasu were detained by the police when they went to cover the farmers’ black flag protests in the district. They were taken to Tiruvannamalai taluk police station.
Police sources said five people were picked up for inquiry on Tuesday morning. “Three of them were claiming that they were journalists,” said Tiruvannamalai superintendent of police R Ponni. They would be allowed to go after confirming their claim as journalists.
A senior Mathrubhumi reporter confirmed the arrest of his colleagues and said, “They are still in police custody.”
A week ago, the Tiruvannamalai police detained Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam’s district president T K Venkatesan and vice-president B Shanmugam for trying to organise an indoor meeting on the outskirt of Tiruvannamalai to discuss the pros and cons of the road project.
The police had also detained 20 others who had come to attend the meeting. They released later in the day.
When the office bearers of the farmers’ association demanded an explanation for their detention, the SP declined to answer.
The farmers' associations condemned the police act and stated that there was an undeclared emergency” prevails in the state and the government was thrashing “freedom of speech.”
(Representative image)