Chennai: MDMK chief Vaiko and leaders of other political parties were detained by the police on Monday for attempting to picket the Raj Bhavan here condemning the delay in the release of all seven life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and seeking their early release.
CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan, leaders of DK and VCK, K Veeramani and Thol Thirumavalavan were among the others detained by the police when they staged the protest near Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor, said police.
The agitation in which the major opposition parties, including the DMK, CPI, CPI (M),VCK participated, brought the traffic to a standstill. The Raj Bhavan picketing agitation was jointly organised by MDMK and the Dravidar Kazhagam.
They protesters claimed that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had not taken a decision so far on the September 9 recommendation of the state government submitted to him to release the convicts. The resolution was passed by the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
Vaiko alleged that the Governor had not accepted the state government's recommendation though he had given his nod for the release of three AIADMK men convicted and sentenced to life term in the case related to burning of three women students in the year 2000.
The MDMK chief warned of intensifying the protests against Purohit if the seven convicts: Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Ravichandran, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Nalini, were not released immediately. Vaiko said the Governor should have ordered their release under Article 161 of the Constitution based on the State Cabinet resolution.
Vaiko, Veeramani, Thirumavalavan and Velmurugan and others who were arrested along with their supporters were later released.
