Ban orders issued to quell protest over Dinakaran land

TIRUVALLUR: The stage is all set for a major confrontation between the Tiruvallur administration and CPM activists with district authorities issuing prohibitory orders on Saturday under Section 144 of the CrPC, restraining any kind of protests in Tiruttani taluk for the next two weeks.
The orders came a day after the Tiruvallur administration failed to convince CPM activists to postpone their November 9 agitation in Kaverirajapuram village.As part of its land retrieval movement', the CPM had threatened to enter the land allegedly encroached upon by Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran in the village and "distribute it to the landless."
On Friday, the district administration, including Tiruvallur collector V Palanikumar and senior police officials, convened a peace meeting to persuade the protestors to postpone their agitation by about a month or so, pointing out that a report had been sent to the Supreme Court on the matter. However, CPM activists refused to heed the district administration's plea and on Saturday, Tiruttani tahsildar R Vijayaraghavulu issued the prohibitory orders.
The orders, invoked on November 7, will be in force for 15 days. Tahsildar Vijayaraghavulu told TOI that he had passed the orders in his capacity as executive magistrate of the taluk to prevent any possible law and order problem or disturbance to peace and tranquillity in the area. The revenue staff in the village announced the prohibitory orders using the tom-tom drums and directed people not to assemble at the venue as the police had denied permission for it.
The police had already denied permission to the land retrieval movement' to hold the protest rally on November 9 and to enter the controversial piece of land in Kaverirajapuram, which they allege had been encroached upon by Justice Dinakaran and his family members, and distribute it to the landless farm hands in the area.
The DIG, Kancheepuram range, G Durairaj, and Tiruvallur SP MC Sarangan, who attended Friday's peace meeting, had suggested that the police may consider permitting the agitation if they shifted the venue to any place other than Kaverirajapuram. But the CPM leaders struck to their stand.
Reacting to the prohibitory orders, CPM district secretary K Selvaraj said they would defy prohibitory orders and go ahead with the protest as planned at Kaverirajapuram. Party politburo member K Varadharajan will lead the agitation, he said.