TIRUCHY: Residents from a village in Thanjavur staged a sit-in protest in the Collectorate premises demanding to vacate a Tasmac outlet functioning in their locality citing inconvenience but the police arrested as many as 47 residents for protesting without permission.

It is said that the residents of Arumalaikottai village near Ammapettai in Thanjavur have been opposing the functioning of a Tasmac outlet ever since it was established in their village fearing anti-social activities and creating inconvenience particularly the women and children.

As expected, in January, a construction worker was stabbed to death in the outlet premises with a broken bottle over an altercation that erupted while consuming alcohol and thence, the protest for closing the outlet intensified.

Since their repeated appeals went unheard by the officials, the residents along with a few members of Naam Tamilar Katchi converged in the Thanjavur Collectorate on Monday and commenced the sit-in in protest demanding the removal of the outlet.

On information, Vallam DSP Ganesamurthy, Tasmac Assistant Manager P Arunagiri and Thanjavur Tahsildar P Arulraj rushed to the spot and held talks with the agitating residents.

The officials assured to close the outlet within 15 days after making the procedures but the protesting members demanded immediate closure of the outlet and continued their sit-in protest.

However, the police force that was on duty, arrested all the 47 protesting residents.