The Coimbatore Rural Police arrested DMK Working President MK Stalin and several party members on Thursday, when he was enroute to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami's constituency in Salem. He was to oversee desilting working of a lake in the area, undertaken by members of the DMK.
Stalin reached the Coimbatore airport from Chennai at 10am and was stopped by the police midway. They were waiting at a toll plaza on the outskirts of Coimbatore and stopped the DMK leader's car. After visiting the lake, Stalin was set to lead a human chain protest in connection to the NEET issue.
"The police said I can't go any further and gave me a petition. But that only says that I can't take part in the human chain scheduled for the evening," said Stalin. "Is there a rule that I cannot go through this road?" he asked.
But after making him wait for half an hour longer, the police detained Stalin and 23 other DMK workers. Members of the party, in turn, created a ruckus at the site.
Stalin, meanwhile asked, "We haven’t even gone to the spot yet and you are stopping us. You can't stop corruption in the AIADMK. You are stopping us? Is it because we respect the law?"
The DMK leader was booked under IPC sections 143 (Unlawful assembly) and section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
He was allowed to leave only at 4 pm following which he caught a flight back to Chennai.