The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Statewide human chain protests

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 21, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Statewide human chain protests

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, NOV. 20. The Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and the Hindu Munnani organised human chain protests throughout the State today condemning the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya in a murder case.

Volunteers of these parties, who formed human chains in front of major temples, shouted slogans criticising the treatment meted out to the Acharya by the police.

In Chennai, the protest was held near 10 temples including the Parthasarathi temple, Triplicane; the Kapaleeswarar temple, Mylapore; the Murgan temple, Vadapalani, and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, T. Nagar.

The BJP State president, C.P. Radhakrishnan; party MP, S. Tirunavukkarasar, and MLAs K.N. Lakshmanan and H. Raja, and the VHP vice-president, S. Vedantham, were among those who participated in the protest.

Charge against BJP

Meanwhile, the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) general secretary, Thol.Thirumavalavan, said political parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party sought to derive political mileage from the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya. He charged that the BJP was also trying to whip up communal passions.

He said the Tamil Nadu Government should ban a proposed hunger-strike by the BJP president, L.K.Advani, in Chennai.

In a press release, Mr. Tirumavalavan said the Acharya's arrest could not be viewed as police doing their duty without fear and adhering to the dictum that all are equal before law. He questioned why the police did not arrest a single person in connection with the killing of Dalit activists and people in the State.

He said Vazhuthavur Arumugham, Sellancheri Sivakami, Kumbakonam Vijayalakshmi, Tiruvannamalai Anthonyammal, Keeripatti Paechiammal, Alangayam Rasenthiran and Senkuruchi Ezhumalai were among the Dalits murdered in the recent past. The police could not be commended for having acted in an honest manner, as not even a single arrest has been made, he said.

He announced postponement of the conference to demand "dual voting rights." It would be held on January 22 in Madurai.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu