Congress MLA S. Vijayadharini was arrested for staging a dharna in front of a new Tasmac shop opened in Vagaivilai village in Nattalam panchayat near Palliadi in Kanyakumari district on Monday evening.
According to police, the shop was opened in lieu of the permanently closed Tasmac shop in Unnamalaikadai, where Gandhian S.K. Sasi Perumal climbed a mobile tower and died on July 31.
Ms. Vijayadharini along with her supporters and local people had heated arguments with the officials before staging the dharna.
As they refused to disperse, Ms. Vijayadharini, Valvachagostam town panchayat president M. Selvarani Kumar, Nattalam village panchayat chairman Yogava and eight others were arrested by Marthandam police.
All of them were released later, police sources said.
Permission denied
Earlier, Mr. Vijayadharini was denied permission to place a wreath and a garland on the body of Gandhian and anti-liquor crusader S.K. Sasi Perumal at Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital (KGMCH) on Monday evening.
Angered over this, the MLA and her supporters staged a protest in front of the administrative block of the hospital for over two hours.
Ms. Vijayadharini told The Hindu that she had obtained permission to offer homage to Sasi Perumal from the Collector, SP and the Dean in the morning, but she was denied entry into the mortuary along with her supporters and media personnel. She was asked to go to the mortuary alone, that too via the administrative block instead of the main entrance, which was not acceptable to her.
Then, Ms. Vijayadharini went to Dean S. Vadivel Murugan’s chamber and kept the wreath and garland on his table. She appealed him to place the wreath and garland on the body of the Gandhian and pay homage on her behalf.
