This story is from March 18, 2015

Tweets backing activist fast gain traffic

Public support is building for 82-year-old social activist K R ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, who police arrested on a flimsy charge at an unearthly hour last week, with people backing him in posts on social networking sites and messages on microblogging site Twitter.
Tweets backing activist fast gain traffic
CHENNAI: Public support is building for 82-year-old social activist K R ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, who police arrested on a flimsy charge at an unearthly hour last week, with people backing him in posts on social networking sites and messages on microblogging site Twitter.
New twitter handle #WeAreWithTrafficRamaswamy has gained wild traction.
“If Delhi has given respect to Anna Hazare, why can’t people in Chennai give some respect to this man,” asks a tweet in support of Ramaswamy, a relentless campaigner against illegalities and corruption.
Tweets backing the activist questioned the arbitrariness of his arrest and expressed outrage at the police action.
The city police arrested Ramaswamy at 4am on Thursday and charged him with threatening a restaurateur, drawing flak from the Madras high court. Police also charged Ramaswamy with holding up traffic on Alagappa Road while removing illegal banners on Wednesday, although the activist maintains that he was only watching corporation workers remove banners at the time.
Veeramani, 59, from Jawahar Nagar, Vepery, said Ramawsamy threatened him with dire consequences. Ramawsamy, however, denied the charge and said Veeramani slapped him. He said police arrested him because he had in recent weeks removed banners extolling former chief minister J Jayalalithaa from near her Poes Garden residence.
Politicians, activists, journalists and just about everyone else have tweeted against the city police. DMK treasurer M K Stalin uploaded a picture of him visiting Ramaswamy after he was hospitalised. Congress leader Kushboo tweeted: “82-year-old activist arrested at 4am. der is no humanity or sensitivity among d cops or govt of TN. v need more like traffic Ramawsamy. i support him.”

Another tweet referred to recordings posted on Whatsapp of phone calls by an assistant commissioner of police in the city to a policewoman he was subjecting to sexual harassment, saying, “...assistant commissioner is forcing a married woman [to have] sex [with him] and [chennai police] arresting an innocent, good show...”
Several users of social networking sites put up photographs of policemen taking away a half-naked Ramaswamy from his lodge and many called for Anna Hazare-type protests in support of Ramawsamy.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA