Security up in southern dts
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Madurai: With the Madras high court and its bench here dismissing petitions seeking to relax rules to participate in the guru pooja celebrations of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran in Paramakudi on Wednesday, the police beefed up security in the southern districts on Tuesday.
Petitioners Kamaraj, an advocate attached to the Tamil Nadu Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, and Guru Vijayan, a functionary of Bahujan Samaj Party, moved the court praying for a direction to the district administration to lift section 144 CrPc in Ramananathapuram district where the memorial of Immanuel Sekaran is situated and the police to allow participants from other districts to go in rented vehicles to the venue.
A division bench comprising justices M. Jaichandran and M. Venugopal concurred with the state’s contention that the prohibitory orders have been promulgated and conditions have been imposed to maintain law and order and dismissed the petitions.
The police have issued instructions according to which volunteers are not allowed to use hired vehicles to proceed to their destination.
“All types of hired vehicles – tourist motor cabs, tourist maxi cabs, omnibuses, stage carriers with temporary or special permits or goods carriers and tractors and two-wheelers and autorickshaws are strictly prohibited and they should not be used by the volunteers or organisers intending to participate in birth/death anniversaries of various leaders including Immauel Sekaran’s death anniversary and Thevar guru pooja to be observed in Ramanathapuram district,” an official release said.
However, own vehicles may be used to travel but there should not be more than three persons in a convoy. Volunteers should not raise slogans. Carrying burning torches in relay to the venue is also not permitted.
About 15,000 policemen have been deployed in the southern districts including Madurai, Ramanathapuram and Sivagangai. About 300 vulnerable pockets have been identified and additional force posted.
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