PT chief, partymen held for padayatra on titanium project

Tirunelveli,Tamil Nadu, Aug 3 (UNI) Police today arrested 67 persons, including 40 Puthiya Thamizhagam (PT) volunteers and its Founder-President Krishnasamy when they attempted to take out a padayatra, despite police refusing them permission at two different places of this district.

Dr Krishnasamy and others tried to take out a padayatra from Kuttam to Thisaiyanvilai protesting the Tamil Nadu Government's move to acquire sizeable land near here for the Tata Group to set up a Titanium Dioxide Project, police said.

Tirunelveli Range DIG P Kannappan said they refused permission to the PT volunteers to take out padayatra following Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's assurance that a final decision on allotting land for the project would be taken only after getting views from the public.

''If we allow the padayatra at this juncture, there will be a severe law and order problem in the area. So we refused to give permission to them,'' Mr Kannappan added.

He said while Dr Krishnasamy and others were arrested at Tirunelveli, the other group, working in the controversial V V Minerals run by Mr Vaikuntarajan were arrested at Kuttam, near here.

Later, all of them were remanded in judicial custody.

UNI