According to the police, more than 2,000 members of the Joint Action Committee of Teachers Organization and Government Employees Organizations (JACTTO-GEO), who staged a protest on Friday were arrested.

They were demanding the payment of arrears under the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission and implementation of the old pension scheme.Members of the organization came together to march towards the Collector Office Road in Vellore.

Political support

Vellore MLA, P. Karthikeyan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam met the protesters at the venue and pledged his support to them. Similarly, the disqualified MLAs from the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), N.G. Parthiban (Sholingur), Jayanthi Padmanabhan (Gudiyatham) and R. Balsubramani (Ambur) addressed the gathering and vowed their support. The police diverted traffic, which created snarls on nearby roads. The protesters raised slogans against the State’s unresponsive attitude and urged the ruling party members to consider their demands.

The arrested members were taken to various marriage halls in the town.