TRICHY: A demonstration by Akila India VOC Peravai members against Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s announcement that seven castes would be brought under the banner of Devendrakula Vellalars led to a scuffle between police and protesters in Trichy on Wednesday. The city police lathicharged the protesters and arrested around 60 of them.
Around 500 members of the peravai staged a demonstration near the central bus stand. The participants raised slogans against the AIADMK government. They claimed that only they belonged to the Vellalar community.
The group also showed their ire by stating that the AIADMK would face defeat in the upcoming assembly election.
While the demonstration went on, some of the members sat on the road to block the movement of vehicles. The police deployed in the area forced them to leave the road. At the peak of the heated arguments, a scuffle broke out between the police and the protesters. The police lathicharged the protesters who blocked the road.
Though the protesters tried to escape, the police managed to catch 60 of them and arrested them. They were detained in in a marriage hall. The police registered a case against them.
The CM last week announced that seven sub-sects -- Devendrakulathan, Kudumban, Pannadi, Kaalaadi, Kadayan, Pallan and Patharian – would be brought under the banner of Devendrakula Vellalars. The CM maintained that the reservation to the people of the seven sub-sects would continue considering their socio-economic status.