The Hindu : Front Page : Stampede issue: DMK members take to the road

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Stampede issue: DMK members take to the road

Staff Reporter

They demand the release of councillor Dhanasekaran

STAND-OFF: M. K. Stalin, DMK deputy general secretary, talking to a police officer before he was arrested on Tuesday at Egmore. — Photo: M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: More than 1,000 members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam were arrested on Tuesday when they staged a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the light of the Supreme Court's adverse remarks on the handling of the MGR Nagar stampede issue.

As many as 42 persons died at a relief distribution centre last December.

The protesters, led by the party deputy general secretary, M.K. Stalin, demanded the release of a local councillor Dhanasekaran, arrested and detained under Goondas Act, on charges of spreading rumours that allegedly resulted in the stampede.

The demonstration was held near the city Police Commissionerate.

Those arrested were released in the evening.

The DMK workers, who assembled at 9.30 a.m., raised slogans against the ruling party and the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, R.Nataraj.

"No planning"

DMK treasurer N.Veerasamy, said there was no planning on the part the Government while distributing tokens for flood relief materials, which led to the tragedy.

Both the official machinery and the police failed to regulate the distribution, he said.

The demonstrators, including a large number of women, shouted slogans.

The arrested party workers were taken in batches to a nearby marriage hall on Whannels Road.

Buses of the MTC made 43 trips to take away the detained workers.

The Union Ministers, G.K.Vasan and Dayanidhi Maran, called on the arrested workers.

Among the leaders detained were former Ministers Sarguna Pandian and Rahman Khan, MLAs J.Anbazhagan and B. Ranganathan.

State-wide protest

Party cadres held protests all over the State against the arrest of Mr. Stalin.

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