People's Democracy

TAMILNADU

Police Unleashes Brutal Attack on DYFI Cadre

S P Rajendran

ON September 16, the Tamilnadu Police launched a brutal attack on the cadre of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) at Salem, a western city of the state, when they were about to take out a march in protest against inordinate delay in commissioning the state-centre funded Super Speciality Hospital fully.        

The cadre organised simultaneous protest walks at five places in the city to urge the state government to take appropriate steps to commission the hospital, built at a cost of Rs 140 crore on the pattern of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). They also wanted to submit petitions to the district collector in this regard. But the police denied them permission to do so.

Despite this denial, DYFI cadre assembled at Three Roads where policemen from the Pallapatti police station refused them permission to take out the protest rally. When protestors insisted on going ahead with their programme, the police started a lathicharge and heavily attacked the leaders of the movement including state president S Muthukannan, injuring him and 10 other youth. The police also arrested them.

DYFI state secretary R Velmurugan vehemently condemned the undemocratic attitude of the police and called the DYFI units across the state to protest against the police action.

Condemning the attack, thousands of DYFI cadre participated in protest actions throughout the state.

Meanwhile, Salem district committee of the CPI(M) staged a demonstration in protest against the lathicharge.

On September 22, DYFI organised a huge dharna in Salem city condemning the police and demanding the opening of the said super speciality hospital. Nearly 3,000 youth participated in this dharna, which was addressed by A Soundararajan, leader of the CPI(M) assembly group.