Cops against granting permission to farmer to observe fast on Marina Beach
Chennai: The city police commissioner on Thursday informed the Madras High Court that the request from farmers’ leader P. Ayyakannu to conduct an indefinite fast, particularly on Marina is to be declined.
“There are so many places earmarked by the Chennai police for conducting agitations and in case of granting Marina beach for the fasting struggle, the possibility of various other anti-social groups participating in the fasting struggle and creating law and order problems cannot be ruled out. Hence, the petitioner’s request to conduct an indefinite fast, particularly on Marina is to be declined”, said P. Saravanan, deputy commissioner of police, Mylapore, in his counter affidavit filed on behalf of the city police commissioner.
Saravanan filed the counter affidavit in response to the petition filed by Ayyakannu, which sought a direction to the city police commissioner to grant permission to stage a hunger strike on Marina, demanding a constitution of the Cauvery Management Board for 90 continuous days.
He said even assuming that permission was granted, the same shall be only for one day from morning till evening and only at unobjectionable places which have been earmarked by the city police commissioner and listed out 16 conditions to be imposed on the protesters.
Justice T. Raja posted to April 20, further hearing of the case. In his counter, Saravanan submitted that the petitioner’s request to go on an indefinite fast for 90 days cannot be granted as it was humanly impossible, physically incompatible and may have serious repercussions. The courts have declined permission for indefinite protests on the same grounds.
He said granting permission for conducting an indefinite fast by several members in one of the most crowded sites of the city may endanger the lives of citizens, especially older aged persons, women and children. Normal lives of people will be put at risk if such permission has been granted. It was reasonable, prudent and safe to allow fasts, demonstrations, dharna and rally in places outside the city limits as a large number of people will be present at one spot without causing any hindrance to the public, he added.
