Chennai, June 14: The Tamil Nadu police today denied permission to a `Coordination Committee of Tamil Eelam supporters' to hold rallies, to protest the Centre's decision to give $ 100 million to Sri Lanka, in the state on June 15.Director General of Police F C Sharma said here that stringent action would be taken against any group which sought to defy the ban and take out rallies in district headquarters.The authorities had banned a conference sought to be organised by the same coordination committee at Chidambaram on May 7 and arrested the convenor of the committee Nedumaran and his supporters.The MDMK, a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance Government, also planned a rally in the city on June 5, but `deferred' it, following an appeal by Chief Minister.Later, the committee said in a statement that its constituent organisations would defy the ban and take out the rallies as planned.Charging the state government with depriving Eelam supporters of their fundamental right to express their views, it said rallies and public meetings were being banned and even those pasting posters in support of the Sri Lankan Tamils were being arrested.Therefore, with a view to upholding their right to express their views on the liberation struggle of the Sri Lankan Tamils, the committee had decided to defy the ban, the statement said.
