Farmers want suspension of ADSP for ‘excessive use of force’

TIRUPUR: Farmers staged a protest at Palladam here on Sunday condemning additional district superintendent of police (ADSP) K Gunasekaran for allegedly using excessive force against women protesters as well as using unparliamentarily language against them during a recent protest against the installation of high voltage transmission line at Salaiyur hamlets near Vavipalayam.
The protesters, led by K Subbarayan, Tirupur MP, and P R Natarajan, Coimbatore MP, urged the state government to initiate departmental action against ADSP and suspend him.
On Friday, the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TanTransco) officials and revenue officials were trying to conduct survey on agricultural lands, where towers for the transmission line project connecting Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh would be erected, at Kaliyappagoundenpudur and Salaiyur hamlets near Vavipalayam.
A group of farmers and residents tried to stop the officials. Police personnel led by ADSP (prohibition enforcement wing) Gunasekaran, who were deployed for protection duty, initially arrested farmers, protesters said. Then, police arrested 50 others including women and children and took them a private convention hall, they added.
“Gunasekaran not only used excessive force against women protesters and children but also used unparliamentarily words against them,” M Gopal of the Parambikulam Aliyar Project irrigation association said.
“He targeted a woman, who earlier questioned the police action, and scolded her using filthy words. After he insulted another farmer, the protesters blocked the Vavipalayam-Putharasal road on Friday and protested against him,” he added.
K V Ponnaiyan, a coordinator of an association of farmers opposing the project, said, besides violating human rights, the ADSP threatened farmers that he would cut free electricity provided to them, if they continue to protest against the transmission line project.
“We wanted to know how a police official could threaten us, that too about stopping benefits of a government’s policy.”
The protesters said the free electricity scheme came into existence after continuous protest of farmers in the past. But Gunasekaran here made a mockery of the scheme, they said.
“We have decided to write to the state government to take departmental action against him. For that, we will first submit a petition to the district superintendent of police on Monday,” Ponnaiyan said.