Chennai/Trichy/Madurai: DMK president and former chief minister M K Stalin on Saturday condemned the detention of former chief ministers Pinarayi Vijayan, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, along with student leaders protesting against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Left parties announced demonstrations at all district headquarters in Tamil Nadu to protest the arrests and demand an end to Union govt’s “coercive tactics”.Accusing Union govt of suppressing democratic dissent, Stalin asked why chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continued to enjoy Z-plus security despite what he termed “acts of treason”. “Undeclared emergency: Those defending democracy are detained, while those betraying it are protected!” Stalin posted on X. He said the conspiracy behind SIR had been exposed, and said barricading Delhi, suspending internet services and detaining leaders would not crush the uprising of India’s youth. Stalin demanded Kumar’s removal, an immediate halt to the SIR exercise and the release of all those detained.Leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin accused the state govt of suppressing peaceful protests at Besant Nagar in Chennai. “By arresting conscious, self-respecting youth, CM has proven himself an undeclared slave to Delhi,” he said.In a joint statement, CPI state secretary M Veerapandian, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam and CPM (ML) state secretary P Asaithambi alleged that Union govt had unleashed “severe repressive measures” through the Delhi police and paramilitary forces. They said senior Left leaders and party functionaries were detained and driven around Delhi in police vehicles for hours.In Madurai, law minister C T R Nirmal Kumar said Gyanesh Kumar should resign. “Whichever govt it may be, if a protest is held without permission, police will definitely stop it,” he said. Kumar also claimed that TVK would have won 170 assembly seats had SIR not been implemented.MORE THAN 140 DETAINED IN CHENNAIPolice detained more than 140 people during two protests in Chennai. Around 100 members of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF) were detained after they attempted to march towards the secretariat. An AISF member, Kavin, suffered a head injury during a scuffle and was later discharged from hospital.At Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar, more than 40 protesters were detained after they refused to disperse, police said. DMK MPs A Raja, Thamizhachi Thangapandian and former minister Ma Subramanian visited the protestors detained at a community hall in Besant Nagar and extended their support.In Trichy, protesters burnt an effigy of Gyanesh Kumar near Theppakulam post office. AIYF and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) members staged a protest near Trichy railway station and were detained. Madurai MP Su Venkatesan, Madurai corporation deputy mayor T Nagarajan and party cadres participated in a demonstration in Madurai.
