Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

Protest against India's participation in Cancun meet

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI SEPT. 9. Members of voluntary organisations, who formed a human chain near the Gandhi Statue on the Marina here today were arrested and later released.

The Joint Action Committee of Unorganised Workers had on September 4 sought permission for staging a human chain today, which was rejected by the city police.

However, they formed a human chain at 5 p.m. protesting India's participation in the WTO ministerial meeting at Cancun in Mexico that begins tomorrow. At 5.40 p.m., police personnel came to the spot and picked up more than a dozen participants, mostly students, and took them in police vehicles. Police sources said they were later released.

Members of the committee said it was unfair on the part of the police to refuse permission for a human chain, which "in no way would cause disturbance to the visitors or result in the beach and its lawns getting dirty as contended by the police". Members recalled they had applied for permission on September 4, while they received the denial letter only this morning.

It in its reply to the committee, the police maintained that permission was not granted to any organisation for conducting meetings, demonstrations or human chains taking into consideration certain factors that included among other things, safety of visitors and the beauty of the beach.

However, the police granted permission for forming the human chain near Valluvar Kottam.

Members of the committee and other voluntary organisations went ahead despite the order, which police officers argued as the reason for picking up the participants.

Meanwhile, organisers said the Cancun meet would prove disastrous for India, especially unorganised workers. Protests were organised by the CITU and the AITUC near the Memorial Hall in the evening.

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