Vellore: Tension gripped Kaniyambadi town in Vellore district on Monday after more than 1,000 people, including brick kiln owners and workers, traders, and people from other walks of life, organised a massive protest near the bus stand, blocking the Vellore-Arni highway, accusing TVK functionaries of extortion and intimidation.They accused TVK Kaniyambadi union secretary T R Vijayakumar, and party office-bearers Lokesh and Eswaran of running an extortion ring, issuing death threats, and demanding bribes from them. They alleged that Vijayakumar and others demanded ₹1 lakh every month from them to operate in the town. The Kaniyambadi region houses a dense industrial cluster of more than 350 brick kilns that employ thousands of local daily wage labourers, besides several business and trade houses.The protesters said Vijayakumar, cashing in on the party’s successful electoral debut in 2026, started threatening brick kiln owners and others to pay an extortion fee every month.Five brick kiln owners approached the Kaniyambadi police. The police, however, allegedly delayed action for nearly five days, reportedly advising them to “compromise and adjust” since the accused belonged to the ruling party. The situation escalated when the police, instead of booking the extortionists, registered cases against the brick kiln owners, who had filed the complaint.Deeply angered by the police action, hundreds of affected people and their families marched to the Vellore–Arni highway near the Kaniyambadi bus stand and blocked the traffic. Hundreds of commuters got stranded on the busy state highway.A large contingent of police personnel and revenue department officers reached the spot. They offered assurances that an impartial investigation would be conducted and appropriate action would be taken. The protesters then withdrew their road blockade.A Krishnamoorthy, a brick kiln owner, said the TVK functionaries demanded ₹1 lakh per month from each unit in the region to continue operation without any hurdles. “They said their party is in power, and we have to abide by their directions. They said they will direct the district officials to seize our lorries and file cases against us,” he said.A district official, on condition of anonymity, said the administration convened a high-level peace committee under the leadership of revenue divisional officer (RDO) K Senthil Kumar to review the police handling of the complaints.
