DMK acting chief MK Stalin detained during protests in Chennai
Normal life in Tamil Nadu was badly hit on Thursday, after all opposition parties in the state, led by the DMK, called for a shutdown, protesting Centre's failure to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) within six weeks of the Supreme Court's February 16 order.
Traffic on key roads in Chennai came to a standstill. Sea of protesters of the DMK and other opposition parties, carrying flags moved towards the Marina beach, breaking police cordons.
Leaders from all political parties, including Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK), Viduthalai Thamizh Puligal Katchi (VTPK) and Social Democratic Party of India and MDMK joined the
protests against the Centre over their delay in setting up the CMB.
Acting chief of DMK, MK Stalin, was detained by the police in Chennai's Anna Salai as he led the march towards Marina. Hundreds of other party supporters have also been detained.
Massive traffic jams in Chennai during DMK's shutdown call
In Chennai, very few government buses were seen on the roads while most autorickshaws stayed away; private taxi services, however, were available. Suburban and long distance trains ran as usual, a Southern Railway official told the IANS. There were reports of brief protests on the rail tracks in Salem and Tirunelvelli but the police dispersed protesters.
In the hosiery town of Tiruppur, units were closed in support of the strike and businesses in Erode, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram were also shut.
In neighbouring Puducherry, transport services were affected while three buses belonging to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation were damaged. The Puducherry government, on Thursday, moved to Supreme Court, with an interlocutory application seeking direction to the Centre to implement Cauvery water verdict immediately. On April 2, the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately act on the Cauvery issue.