150 farmers held

Erode,Jan21 (PTI) A total of 150 farmers were taken intopreventive custody today in view of their toddy tapping andselling agitation here.

The ''Toddy Movement'', which is spearheading the agitation,had announced that toddy would be tapped from a land atArachalure and sell it openly to the public today.

It was also announced that actor and founder Presidentof the Samathuva Makkal Katchi R.Sarathkumar would receive thefirst sale of toddy.

Two hundred police personnel were deployed in Arachalureand arrested C.Nallasamy, organiser of the Movement and 155other farmers as a preventive step.They were kept in a localKalyana Mandapam, where Sarathkumar, A Ganesamurthy MP (MDMK),film director Seeman of ''Naam Thamizar Iyakkam'' and others metNallasamy.

The farmers raised slogans demanding that Government permitthem to tap toddy and sell it.