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JIPMER bandh: 250 supporters arrested

Staff Reporter

Windshields of two lorries, a bus damaged; Internet centre stoned

PUDUCHERRY: Around 250 bandh supporters were arrested and some remanded to custody for assembling unlawfully and damaging property during the 12-hour bandh called by the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research anti-conversion people's action committee to protest against the Union Cabinet decision to grant autonomy to the institute.

Bandh supporters damaged windshields of two lorries and a bus in the town. They also pelted stones at an Internet centre on Kamaraj Salai, owned by a private telecom major, and damaged the glass doors. A clinical laboratory on Lenin Street was also damaged , police said.

Three persons were arrested for damaging property and were remanded to judicial custody, according to the police.

A majority of shops and business establishments in the town and in rural areas remained closed till 6 p.m. All government offices and schools saw thin attendance while private schools remained closed because of the holiday after the quarterly examination.

Private buses, share autos and most autorickshaws kept off the roads during the bandh. The Pondicherry Road Transport Corporation operated a few buses with police escorts.

Commuters travelling from the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu to the town had to walk several kilometres as buses from Villupuram, Cuddalore and Tindivanam stopped their services at the border point.

Leaders of the political parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Dalit Panthers of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party, were arrested for holding demonstrations at various places in the Union Territory. JIPMER staff also courted arrest and all the arrested were released by the evening. After their release, the leaders of the JIPMER Staff Struggle Committee met Lt. Governor Mukut Mithi and sought his support to end the standoff. They told him that after their parleys with the Chief Minister during last week, the Committee had decided to join duty provided the JIPMER management revoked the disciplinary action initiated against the employees and withdrew the police cases.

The decision was conveyed to the management through the Chief Minister but there had been no response so far. They requested the Lt. Governor to intervene and revoke the suspension of 46 staff members and the termination order issued to 5 staff members and to drop the cases filed against 71 employees.

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