A doctoral student at Annamalai University has reportedly been detained for instigating students through Facebook posts in Chidamabaram, reports TNIE. A Kuberan (32), in a post put up on Thursday morning, had asked students of the University to gather for an agitation over the Kathiramangalam issue.

In the Facebook post, he criticised the invoking of the Goondas act against protestors who held demonstration in Kathiramangalam and demanded that Professor Jayaraman and other agitators who are currently in jail under the Goondas Act be released. He has demanded that protests by students not be depicted as an act of terror and also called for the closure of hydrocarbon projects in the state.  

The post written in Tamil, describes the agenda of the agitation. "The ONGC project should be halted immediately in Kathiramangalam.  The government should withdraw police from Kathiramangalam and release all the arrested including Professor Jayaraman. The government should also stop portraying students and activists fighting for environmental causes as terrorists. No hydrocarbon projects should be allowed in TN,” it said.

He further appealed that students to gather at 10am on July 20 for the protests. Kuberan is a doctoral student in sociology at the University and reportedly also an active member of Tamil Dhesiya Periyakkam.

His arrest comes shortly after the detention of 23-year-old Valarmathi, a journalism student at the Periyar University, under the Goondas Act. 

On July 12, 2017, she was detained by the Salem police under the Goondas Act for distributing pamphlets in front of the Government Women Arts college, regarding a general public meeting against the Neduvasal hydrocarbon project.