Chennai: Students from various city colleges resorted to stage a rail-roko in support of farmers protesting against the Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal, on Saturday.
Following the protest, cops arrested nearly 30 student participants. The protest was being organised following a call in social media requesting youth and students to congregate near Thalamuthu Natarajan Maligai in an upheaval similar to Jallikattu.
Cops anticipating protesters ensured that there was no congregation at the said spot. A rumour was milled of a congregation near R. Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore.
Cops who rushed to the spot found that congregation to be a group of traffic violators waiting to remit fine with the mobile court. At around 11.30 am, the youth who had planned to march from Thalamuthu Natarajan Maligai gathered in front of the Egmore Railway station instead.
Armed with placards against Hydrocarbon project, the protesters claimed that they would not stop until the project was scrapped. The sloganeering was aimed at the Central government, which keeps clearing decks for further Hydrocarbon projects across the country.
“We won’t rest until the Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal is scrapped. We won’t allow the Centre to wreak havoc on the livelihood of farmers.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is so busy so that he has no time to visit the farmers who are protesting for more than 2 weeks seeking drought relief. He should have, by now conceded to their demands, besides talking to them”, said Vasu, a city college student, who mobilised the protest.
After a 15-minutes sloganeering, the protesting lot were removed with force, and were held in a private community hall in Veerapathiran street before being released in the evening.
