The conviction and sentencing of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa by the Special Court in Bangalore on Saturday triggered agitations by AIADMK supporters in The Nilgiris on Saturday.
In Udhagamandalam, a group of supporters burnt DMK leader M. Karunanidhi in effigy opposite the municipal market, pulled down banners and hoardings of the DMK and blocked roads at busy areas such as Charing Cross, Garden road and the Coffee House junction. They also made shopkeepers, hoteliers, and roadside hawkers to down shutters and staged a demonstration opposite the Government Botanical Garden.
As a measure of precaution, the garden gates were closed and security was beefed up. Over 50 AIADMK activists were arrested. When an attempt was made to close one of the offices of the DMK here, DMK supporters gathered to register their protest. However, they dispersed following the police intervention.
In Coonoor, Gudalur, Kotagiri, Pandhalur and Manjoor, normal life was hit with most of the commercial establishments remaining closed. At Manjoor, five functionaries of the AIADMK sustained minor burns while setting fire to an effigy.
KodanadA pall of gloom descended on Ms. Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad estate near Kotagiri. Transport sources told The Hindu that bus services were seriously hit in various parts of the district.
One bus was stoned at Kinnakorai. Out of the 12 Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation buses, which normally ply to Bangalore, Mysore and Gundlupet, only six plied in the forenoon. Special buses were run for passengers of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses who were stranded at Kakkanullah on the Karnataka-Nilgiris border.
Stating that instructions had been issued to operate buses in accordance with the prevailing situation and the available security, the sources said that owing to the disruption in the services, a large number of tourists and locals were subjected to considerable hardship.
Official sources said that vigil had been stepped up in various parts of The Nilgiris.
Vehicle checks at Kakkanullah, which had commenced on Friday, were intensified on Saturday.
However, there was a drastic reduction in the number of vehicles passing through Kakkanullah. People driving vehicles with Karnataka number plates were asked to exercise caution. Police pickets have been posted in sensitive areas.
In towns in Coimbatore district, things were no different as the verdict brought the AIADMK cadre to the streets. In reaction to the verdict, shopkeepers downed shutters in Mettupalayam and Pollachi .
The cadre staged protests in front of the Pollachi bus stand and on New Scheme Road. They burnt Subramanian Swamy and M. Karunanidhi in effigy and shouted slogans praising Ms. Jayalalithaa.
According to sources, the suspension of bus service affected the Valparai estate workers more than anybody else as they did not have alternative vehicles to reach the interiors in the hills.
In Mettupalayam, the AIADMK cadre staged a protest at the bus stand and on the main thoroughfare. An AIADMK cadre, Hakkim, attempted self immolation, but was prevented.
The sources said that buses to Coimbatore remained suspended since afternoon.
The Coimbatore Rural Police have posted policemen at important locations to prevent any untoward incidents.
