Tiruvannamalai: Swaran Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav was detained here Saturday while on his way to express solidarity with farmers protesting against the Chennai-Salem Expressway project. While the police said his arrest was to ensure peace in the region, Yadav tweeted he was ‘manhandled’ and pushed into a police van. “Finally, I have been arrested. My crime: wanting to meet farmers in their homes. Where is rule of law?” he tweeted.
“We came on the invitation of Movement Against 8Lane Way. We were prevented from going to meet farmers, phones snatched, manhandled and pushed into police van. Firsthand experience of police state in TN,” he said, adding that he had come here for fact-finding about the land acquisition when he was stopped from proceeding.
In another tweet, he said he had been lodged with some others in a marriage hall. The arrest of Yadav, along with his associates in the Swaran Abhiyan, attracted sharp reactions on the social media with many slamming the state government and its police. Some on twitter also criticised Yadav as an ‘urban naxa’ trying to create mischief in Tamil Nadu, where the people desire development.
While the government is insisting that the Rs 10,000 crore eight-lane expressway connecting Salem and Chennai would create all-round development, a section of farmers and landowners who do not want to part with their land are opposing the project.
DMK leader M K Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan have condemned Yadav’s detention. Stalin tweeted: “The DMK strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of @_SwarajIndia chief @_YogendraYadav who supported farmers affected by #ChennaiSalemExpressway project”. The “intolerant” AIADMK government will pay the price for denying people the democratic right to dissent and protest, Stalin added.
The project, a central government initiative being implemented by the Tamil Nadu government, aims to bring down the travel time between Salem and Chennai. The state government has been insisting that it will also help address the issue of fatal accidents on this stretch, besides saving on fuel and vehicular wear and tear. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said compensation being offered to landowners was more compared to the past, as the guideline value has increased. (with PTI report)
