SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, The Hindu Oct 13, 2012

Police suspect links with banned groups

Members of an 11-member ‘fact-finding committee’ heading towards Idinthakarai, the hub of the protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, were arrested on Friday.

Four of the members were from Tamil Nadu; three, including a woman, were from Cuddapah district in Andhra Pradesh; two from Jharkhand; and one each from Odisha and Delhi.

They are affiliated to some movements and the police suspect they have close contacts with banned groups. Efforts are on to trace their background.

Based on a tip-off that the team members were on their way to Idinthakarai in a bus, the vehicle was intercepted at the Nanguneri toll gate in the morning. The team members were taken to a marriage hall for interrogation, which revealed that they were affiliated to various organisations, including the Anti-Imperialist Movement, Centre for Protection of Civil Liberties, Students Uprising Movement, Anti-Evacuation Movement, Revolutionary Democratic Front and Women’s Uprising Movement.

Since activities of all these organisations are under scanner and the movement of persons linked to these outfits are being monitored by security agencies, they were detained. Moreover, they cannot be allowed to enter a place where prohibitory orders are in place,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police, Valliyoor Sub-Division, N.K. Stanley Jones. Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli, Vijayendra S. Bidari and Additional Superintendent of Police, K. Mahendran interrogated them in the evening.

The police have registered cases against them under various sections of the IPC. “We’ve also seized some literature from them,” Mr. Jones said.

 

The details of those arrested on 12 October, 2012, as per the list I have at present include:

1. Palani Sami – Anti Imperialist Movement (Karur)
2. Agaraadhi – Podhu Nala Pengal Ezhuchi Iyyakam (Madurai)
3. Kesavan-CPCL Madurai
4. Jagan – Podhu Nala Manavar Ezhuchi Iyyakkam
5. Varalakshmi– Andhra Pradesh student
6. Pradeepa Human rights activists Jharkhand
7. Damodar – PUCL Delhi
8. Priyadarshini – JNU (DSU)

9Aravind Abiyaas from Jharkhand

10 Hameed, a student from Andhra Pradesh
Names of 1  others not known

Crime FIR no 216/2 Sections 143/188/194b/ 353/ 362/ 506 of IPC r/w 7(1) A of CLA Act


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In a separate but unrelated incident last Saturday, another group of people who had gathered at a private school to discuss plans of setting up a trade union were picked up at the behest of the notorious Q branch, arrested and remanded in Vellore Jail. The police has managed to defeat the bail application on the basis of arguments that the arrested people are from the Maoist party. This incident was not related to Koodankulam, but speaks of a noticeable and disturbing trend in Tamil Nadu.

Total number of people arrested

13 people

Date of arrest: Saturday 6th October

Names with age of the persons under arrest

Bhaskar ~40

Duraisingavel ~

Palani

Kumaragurubaran 61

(Maniko) G Paneerselvam ~35– Professor ulga tamil arachi niruvanam

Poovi Arasan (salem -28) Sft ware engg

Senthil Kumar

Gurunathan

Murali Mohan (thiruvannamalai)

Suresh Kumar

Rafique

Mugilan (thiruvannamalai)

Ragini –w/o duraisingavel

 

Name of the organization they are part off

Makkal Jananayaga Kudiarasu Katchi (peoples Democratic republic party)

Sections under which they have been arrested

17 (1) of Criminal Law Amendment Act : (unlawful assembly)

Jail location: Vellore prison

Place of arrest: Kundrathur Paavendar Tamilvayi Palli (tamil medium school)

Name of the police station: Kundrathur police station

history of the event

The members of the party had assembled to discuss about setting up and registering trade union on a industry basis. They assembled about 10am. Discussion were happening. Permission had been sought from the school authorities (Palani’s daughters are studying in the school and he had sought permission). evening around 5:30 pm Q branch police along with local police numbering 20 entere dthe premises and started to enquire about them. They wanted to know the reason for the meeting and to know about the organization and collected the personal details of the people present. By this time Bhaskar had contacted a few advoctes but he was not sure they would be arrested. They continued with to the enquiry even upto 9:30pm and then the police arrested them.

The arrest was done by the kundrathur police on the complaint of Q branch SI Mohan. The complainant maintains that the persons were gathered in the school and conducting a meeting in a closed room in which the lights had been put off. ————

police account

The group had no permission. The members ar e part of the banned maoist party. SOme of th emembers have been convicted or have charges under POTA.

they had unlawfully assembled (in the sense they did not get any permission from the police) and were secretly discussing. (this part is unclear as adv Natarajan was not too clear)

 

Bail moved

Bail was moved on Monday (8th) at the Magistrate Court in Sriperumbudur. the case came up for hearing on Wednesday (10th )where the judge adjourned the case to Friday (12th) as the PP sought time to file the counter by the police and state.

Status of bail application

On Friday (12th) the bail was dismissed as the judge accepted the PP’s argument that they were known maoists with previous charges and the police need time to investigate.

 

DETAILS GATHERED BY OTHER FRIENDS FROM ADV. NATARAJ WHOSE HANDLING THE BAIL PROCESS