Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA)
Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav on Saturday said he was arrested by Tamil Nadu police while he was on his way to meet farmers affected by Chennai-Salem expressway project. Taking to Twitter, Yadav said, “Finally, I have been arrested. My crime: wanting to meet farmers in their home. Where is rule of law?”
Earlier, Yadav called the Tamil Nadu police order stopping him from meeting farmers ‘illegal’. Yadav was detained by the Tamil Nadu police in Chengam in Tiruvannamalai district during the day. The ‘Movement Against 8 Lane Way’ had invited him to meet farmers over the Chennai-Salem expressway project. In a series of tweets, Yadav claimed he was manhandled and pushed into a police van.
“TN police has detained me and team in Thiruvannannamalai district. We came on the invitation of Movement Against 8Lane Way. We were prevented from going to meet farmers, phones snatched, manhandled and pushed into police van. First hand experience of police state in TN!” Yadav tweeted. READ in TAMIL
In a video posted by Swaraj India, the leader added, “I’m told that I am not allowed to visit farmers because there is a law and order problem… because im going to create unrest.” He said that he was barred from the visit despite telling officials that he would meet farmers inside their homes.
Yadav also tweeted saying, he was detained without any formal order. In a detailed letter to the Chengum Sub Division DSP, Yadav said that the order was served to him nearly five hourse after he was detained in a marriage hall without any written or formal order.
Farmers have been protesting against a project to build an eight-lane highway connecting Chennai and Salem, which runs through Tiruvannamalai district. Yadav was conducting an enquiry into whether farmers really wanted to give up their land for the project or if they were being pressured by the police. Yadav said he had acquired permission from the District Magistrate for the visit.
Reacting to the alleged manhandling of the Swaraj India chief, DMK president MK Stalin condemned the incident and said, “The DMK strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav who supported farmers affected by Chennai-Salem Expressway project. The intolerant AIADMK govt will pay the price for denying people the democratic right to dissent & protest.”
Makkal Neethi Maiam founder-president Kamal Haasan also condemned Yadav’s detention and said ‘brother’ Yadav “a politician from a different state” had come to learn about the opinion of the farmers of our state”. “This act is to be criticised and condemned, as it prevents opinions from being shared and is an act of dictatorship,” Haasan said in a statement.