Chennai: Police excesses stifling voices of dissent, complain activists

CHENNAI: City-based activist group Arappor Iyakkam organised a protest – Restore Democracy Now – here on Sunday, condemning the police excesses stifling protests over environmental issues. 
Singers TM Krishna and Sofia Ashraf rendered songs of protest and led sloganeering. “The way in which the government is using police to force villagers to surrendering their land for the Chennai-Salem green corridor is alarming. It is undemocratic,” said Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of Arappor Iyakkam. 

“The fact that there were no public consultations held shows the government has already decided that the project should happen without hearing the voices of the people. This is a complete breakdown of democracy,” he said. Krishna emphasised the need to understand that it is the weakest sections which are trampled on by the government and big corporations.

“I don’t have to worry about a highway coming up in my backyard,” he said, explaining how privilege prevents the middle class and the rich from voicing support for the marginalised. He also spoke about the anti-Sterlite protests and mercury poisoning in Kodaikanal. “Lives will still be lost because of the contamination,” he said, explaining the double standards in cleaning operations, compared to the west.