CHENNAI: Well-known activist ‘Traffic’ K Ramaswamy on Saturday climbed on to the terrace of a building threatening to jump if villagers arrested in Thanjavur for protesting against oil exploration project are not immediately released.
“All innocent people who got arrested for protesting against the ONGC in Kathiramangalam should be released immediately. Also, the ministers R Kamaraj and C Vijayabaskar should resign as they are corrupt. The Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami should also resign for failing to take action against those two ministers. If these are not happening, I will kill myself”, he told reporters as he was lying on a loft in the building.
It all started around 4.30 pm when Ramaswamy climbed over the loft in the terrace of the building at NSC Bose Road, where his office is also located. Dressed in his lungi, he lied on the loft and threatened to jump off the building if his demands were not met. Soon, the police rushed to his office near George Town and tried to convince him. But Ramaswamy stayed stubborn on the loft. After the media arrived, Ramaswamy addressed even as he was lying on the loft. A few men from the fire and rescue services and a medical team were also brought to the spot.
Around 6.25 pm, the police decided to bring ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy down by force. He further threatened to go naked if he was manhandled. The police brought a ladder and a few people climbed over the loft. Ramaswamy was lifted and brought down forcefully as he wriggled. He was taken inside a room in his office. Reporters were asked to leave the place. When contacted around 8 pm over phone, Ramaswamy said the police had left the place and the gates were unlocked. “I will resume the protest tomorrow again,” he told Express.