Outfits’ chorus to name it Thevar airport in Madurai

Normal life was affected in most parts of the city and district as several commercial establishments, hotels, and beverage stalls downed their shutters.

Though most Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) buses stayed off the roads since morning, two buses near Valluvar Colony and Keerathurai railway gate were damaged in stone pelting by an unidentified group. A woman passenger suffered injuries and was admitted to the government hospital. Seven persons were picked up in connection with the incident, police said.

As auto-rickshaws also did not ply, vehicular traffic was thin on many roads.

Selvaraj, a resident of Kochadai, said that the bandh was not the proper way for caste or political outfits to press their demands. Instead they could resort to hunger strike without hindering the public, he added. Questioned the government’s silence on the bandh, he opined that the district administration should have initiated steps at least to ensure normal operation of bus services.

Velmurugan, a trader, said that though the outfits announced their strike plan well in advance through wall posters listing their demands, the police failed to provide security to keep the shops open.

A large number of protesters, including members of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), gathered at Goripalayam, where they garlanded the statue of Muthuramalinga Thevar and raised slogans demanding the government to fulfil their demands. Many of them refused to disperse from the protest venue near the statue at Goripalayam, despite repeated appeals by the police.

Meanwhile, around 650 persons were arrested for attempting to stage a rail roko at Madurai junction and staging protests in several locations.

The demands of the protesters also included, inclusion of the leader’s life history in education syllabus, and issuance of Denotified Tribes (DNT) community certificates.