Hindu Munnani leader Ramagopalan and his supporters staged a day’s token fast at their office in Chintadripet on Sunday against the city police for arresting their cadre over the attack on a cameraman of Pudiyathalaimurai news channel on March 8.
The protest began around 9 a.m. at the Munnani’s office on Ayya Mudali Street, Chintadripet, with nearly 100 members taking part in the fast.
The cadres had earlier published posters inviting supports to come together against the actions of the city police.
The issue began when the Tamil news channel was filming a debate ‘Thali: a boon or bane to women’ that was scheduled for telecast on Women’s Day. Hindu Munnani members led by Mr. Ramagopalan objected the telecast of the show and threatened to go on a State-wide agitation. Even though the channel suspended the telecast, Munnani members who gathered outside the office of the TV channel in Ekkaduthangal allegedly assaulted a cameraman and damaged his equipment. Guindy police arrested 10 people and lodged them in Puzhal prison.
Slams police commissioner
Addressing media persons after the fast, Mr. Ramagopalan slammed the City Police Commissioner and said the police was biased against the Hindu Munnani cadre. The leader further claimed that police had falsely implicated his supporters in the cameraman assault case and had been preventing them from coming out on bail. “Earlier, we had given numerous complaints on the television show but the city police did not initiate any action but have now falsely arrested our members,” he added.
