Journalism of Courage
As many as 17 people were taken into preventive custody by police in Chennai Thursday for carrying out a protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the violence that took place in Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi on Sunday. The detainees were let go after a few hours.
The protesters had gathered at the Valluvar Kottam around 4 pm, but were arrested within minutes and taken to the APVP community hall in Nungambakkam.
Earlier, on January 6, the Triplican Deputy Commissioner (DC), G Dharamarajan, had given assurance for the protest. He had said that the protestors can “trust him” and there is no problem in protesting after 3 pm.
In a video posted on Twitter, one of the protesters is seen asking the police officer why they were being held despite the promise made by the DC a few days ago. In reply, the police officer is purportedly heard saying that he is the local AC and he will arrest them if they continue with the protest.
A crowd gathered at the community hall where the protestors were detained to demand their release. A human chain was also formed, causing a scuffle between the protestors and the police, as the latter said it was causing hindrance to public peace.
