VHP rath yatra: Tamil Nadu tense, Section 144 in Tirunelveli

NEW DELHI: Around 1,500 police personnel were deployed for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad-led Ram Rajiya Ratha Yatra to ensure peace on the route via Tirunelveli district on Tuesday.
As Section 144 of CrPC is already in force, around 40 protesters have been arrested so far as they tried to stage a demonstration against the march. The section will be in place till March 23.

Police detained MK Stalin and DMK MLAs who blocked the road while staging Road Roko outside Secretariat.They were raising slogans against the state and the Centre.

In a tweet on the ongoing yatra, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan said, "Voices for social harmony being throttled with Section 144 and arrests. Procession with divisive political agenda allowed with protection. The TN government, dancing to someone else's tune, is neither reflecting people's opinion nor being empathetic to students writing their board exams.


The march started from Kerala and was expected to reach Sengottai in Tirunelveli district around 9 am. It would then enter Virudhunagar.

In Chennai, vehicular traffic was affected near Anna Statue on the Anna Salai following a protest by a group of men on Tuesday.

Protesters led by Hyder Ali, TMMK state ex-president, agitated against the VHP and RSS leaders for conducting Rath-Yathra in the state. Their main demands are the release of leaders of TMMK and MMK, who were arrested for protesting against VHP rath yatra held in Tamil Nadu.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin on Tuesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately stop the Ram Rajya Rath Yatra from entering the state.

Stalin said, "The rath yatra will disturb the communal harmony and peace in the state."

The Rama Rajya Rath Yatra was flagged off by the Sree Rama Dasa Mission Universal Society from Ayodhya on February 13.
This rath yatra will enter Puliyarai in Tirunelveli on March 20 via Punalur in Kerala and pass through Sengottai, Ilangi, Tenkasi, Kadayanalloor, Puliyangudi, Vasudevanalloor, Sivagiri and proceed to Rameswaram via Rajapalayam and Madurai.
With Agency inputs