— Photo: T. Singaravelou

OBSTINATE: CPM leader Murugan being taken into custody as he squatted on the road on Kamraj Salai on Friday.

PUDUCHERRY: Police thwarted the agitation by the political parties opposed to the JIPMER autonomy on Friday as the cadres were arrested en masse.

Though police had given an oral permission to the Anti -JIPMER Struggle Committee to stage an agitation at Balaji Theatre junction demanding reinstatement of the dismissed staff, it was withdrawn on Friday as the PMK members decided to oppose the agitation. Police said permission was withdrawn as they anticipated some trouble. However, the anti-autonomy political parties, the CPM, the AIADMK, the BJP and the RPI, went ahead, and as their volunteers gathered at the venue in groups, police arrested them.

Traffic flow was disrupted along Kamaraj Salai for more than an hour in the evening as members squatted on the road protesting the police move. The CPM leader, Murugan, and some of the cadres had to be removed using force. They also had a heated exchange with the police. There was also a minor skirmish between the AIADMK members and the police. However, the intervention of the leaders prevented the incident from going out of hand.

The CPM leaders were critical of the police because they permitted the PMK members to hold a sit-on dharna near Balaji Theatre for half-an-hour at around 4 p.m. before they were arrested.

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