CHENNAI: Hundreds of sanitation workers were detained by the police around 11.30 pm on New Year's Eve near Kannappar Thidal while protesting against the privatisation of sanitation work.

The workers were taken away in police buses and kept inside the vehicles for several hours through the night, according to the detained workers.

During the detention, a woman sanitation worker suffered a seizure while inside the bus. She was rushed for emergency medical care and initially admitted to SIMS Hospital late on December 31.

She was later shifted at around 2 am on Thursday to Kilpauk Medical College for further treatment, where she continues to receive medical care.

Workers alleged that the detainees were moved around the city for several hours without being informed of their destination. "They kept moving the bus across the city. At one point, they tried to drop us on the outskirts," a worker noted.