As the protests against Union government's army recruitment scheme 'Agnipath' saw attack on railway property, the Southern Railway has increased security at all major stations across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai Central, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Jholarpet, Arkonam. The Tamil Nadu Police have cordoned off the main road in Chennai leading to the Army officers' mess and other army installations. Small protests are being witnessed at Kancheepuram and Kumbakonam areas.
The Tamil Nadu Police are also on high alert over intelligence inputs that several young men from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are employed in the garment units of Tiruppur. These youths could lead some attacks against railway stations and railway properties in the wake of arson and burning of trains in several northern states, as per the inputs, IANS reported.
A young man was killed in police firing at Secunderabad following protests on Friday and therefore, the Tamil Nadu Police and Railway Protection Force are not taking any chances. Riot control vehicles are on standby at major railway stations and the Fire department is also being alerted at all major railway station premises. Some trains have also been cancelled from Chennai Central railway station.
Tamil Nadu is relatively calm over the Agnipath issue and except for Tiruppur, there have not been any other instances of protests in the state. In Tiruppur, protesters shouted slogans and left without causing any damage to public property. However, security forces are on high alert following intelligence inputs from both the Union government and the state over a possibility of violence spreading to all parts of Tamil Nadu.
Read: