CHENNAI: Taking a tough stand against anti-NEET protesters, police on Thursday remanded 12 protesters, including two transgenders, on Thursday. In the past, the police usually released protesters after detaining them for a brief time.
A senior police officer justified the action claiming that the 12 protesters attempted to lock a Central government office. These protesters were booked under more stringent sections of IPC, including for an alleged offence of criminal intimidation. “An hour after we started protesting, the police reached the spot and arrested us and detained us at Mohan Kalyana Mandabam at Maduvangarai at Guindy. We thought we would be let off in the evening, and it came as a shock to us that we were being taken to the court to be remanded,” said one of the 12 protesters.
Speaking to Express, Grace Banu, one of the two arrested transgenders said, “As we reached the Saidapet court, the police asked us to sign in a report that we have been detained under five sections. When asked for an explanation on why they were being booked under non-bailable section, the police refused to answer and told us we will be informed. But we were brought back to the same marriage hall.”
Later, the message of their detention and videos of Grace Banu from the marriage hall went viral on the social media. Banu also said the police refused to say where the house of the magistrate was so that she could alert her advocate.
A senior police officer told
Express that the protesters did not take permission to stage a protest and tried to lock a Central Government office (Intellectual Property Rights office) and hence were detained and were later remanded.
Bessie Beach too blocked
Anticipating large-scale protests at Besant Nagar beach, several police personnel were posted on the roads leading to the beach on Thursday
Despite police deployment in front of colleges in the city, most students continued their sit-in protest demanding justice for Anitha of Ariyalur district
The release also said 2,221 persons, including 376 women, staged protests at 23 places in the city
In the past, the service lane of Kamarajar Salai along Marina beach was shut off for public use