CHENNAI: A farmer and his daughter staged a protest on the Coimbatore–Dindigul National Highway in front of the Madathukulam taluk office on Tuesday (September 9), alleging bias in the removal of encroachments, Daily Thanthi reported.
Palaniswami, a farmer from Thungavi Malayandipattinam near Madathukulam, owns 1.9 acres of land. Officials said he had encroached on 40 cents of adjoining government land and blocked access to fields behind. Following a court order, authorities removed the encroachments on June 13, uprooting around 40 coconut trees and demolishing structures.
On Monday, officials again attempted to reclaim a road passing by his land, clearing haystacks placed there. Opposing this, Palaniswami and his daughter Sumithra sat on the highway and wept, alleging that officials were acting in favour of the other side.
Police led by Kaniyur Inspector Panchalakshmi held talks with them, stating that civil disputes must be resolved through court and not protests. They were moved off the road, ensuring traffic was unaffected.