Remand prisoners and convicts have few means to register protests given obvious restrictions on them and have to resort to unusual methods to garner attention. Two Sri Lankan refugees, who were lodged at Puzhal Prison as remand prisoners, managed to do just that when they stripped to their undergarments on Thursday as they were waiting outside the prison to be taken to court, to protest alleged ill-treatment by staff.
Police said ‘Ketty’ Pandi (24) and Suresh (20), both residents of the Mettupatti Lankan Refugee Camp at Namakkal, were arrested for theft and had been lodged at Puzhal for over a year. Pandi was arrested by Paramathi Velur Police while Suresh was arrested by Palladam Police.
As their cases were being tried, Pandi was to be produced in a court in Namakkal while Suresh would be taken to Coimbatore.