Trichy native arrested at international conference venue

Kochi, Jan 23 (UNI) City Police today formally arrested a Tiruchirapalli native for trespassing into the venue of the international conference on the 'India, China, US Triangle', here.

Aluva police said the man, identified as P Mohd Rafiq (28), was picked up from the conference venue, SCMS College, after the college authorities complained about his unauthorised presence at the three-day conference, attended by a host of Indian and foreign dignitaries.

He was formally arrested this afternoon and a case registered against him under Section 448 of the IPC for trespassing.

Police said a wireless message had been sent to Trichy to verify the man's antecedents and according to information available so far, his family members said that he had gone to Chennai to attend a wedding.

No further details were available about Rafiq, who was reportedly not very forthcoming during his interrogation by the police.

A spokesman for the SCMS College said the conference organisers called the police last evening after the man did not give any explanation for his presence at the venue.

He had apparently attended all the sessions of the conference and was sitting in the conference hall even after the sessions were over for the day.

''As this was a conference being attended by only select delegates, we questioned him but he could not give any explanation for his presence here,'' he said.

The conference, which concluded this afternoon, had been organised by the Centre for National Renaissance, Delhi, headed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy.

Several high profile dignitaries from India, China and the US were present at yesterday's sessions, including former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Media Adviser to the Prime Minister Sanjaya Baru and Air Chief Marshal (Retd) S Krishnaswamy, a member of the National Security Board of India.

Editor-in-Chief of English daily 'The Hindu' Mr N Ram, among the sponsors of the conference, was also present.

Former Indian Foreign Secretary Salman Haider and Mr Ram were among the delegates who also addressed the conference on the concluding day today.

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