Coonoor:
Around 85 activists of MDMK and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were arrested today when they attempted to stage a picketing and a block a train in Coonoor condemning the training of Sri Lankan personnel at the Defence Staff Service College (DSSC) near here, police said.
Over 70 MDMK activists squatted in the middle of the road leading to the college at Wellington, blocking vehicular traffic for some time. Large number of police personnel were deployed on the road.
The activists, including a few women, raised slogans against the UPA Government for hurting the sentiments of Tamils in India, by bringing Sri Lankan officials for training in the state, police said.
A group of VCK workers raised slogans condemning the Centre for allowing the training and proceeded to the railway station here to block the train coming from Mettupalayam when they were taken into custody.
Armed personnel kept a vigil near the main entrance of the
Madras Regiment Centre, where the DSSC is located, as a precautionary step, police said.
The protests came a day after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa shot off a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing the Centre of showing "excessive enthusiasm" in training Lankan defence personnel and demanded that the two officers undergoing training since May, be sent back.