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The Tamil Nadu’s Chengalpattu police detained several Congress workers who protested during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the state. The Prime Minister was in Chengalpattu district on Friday, January 24, to kick-start the campaign ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Congress members across Chennai, Chengalpattu, Madurantakam and other locations protested the visit by waving black flags, wearing black shirts and releasing black balloons. In Periamet, more than 20 Congress workers released black balloons, briefly disrupting traffic.
As a precautionary measure, Ranjan Kumar, leader of the Tamil Nadu Congress State Scheduled Caste wing, was placed under house arrest. Despite the restrictions, he registered his protest by releasing black balloons from his residence.
Speaking to TNM, Ranjan Kumar said that on the night of January 22, around 8.30 pm, more than 15 police officers arrived at his house and informed him that he was being placed under house arrest on the orders of their superiors.
“The police remained at my house through the night. I was released only around 9 pm on January 23, after the Prime Minister had completed his speech and left Tamil Nadu,” he said.
He alleged that this was a recurring pattern. “Whenever Prime Minister Modi visits Tamil Nadu, I am the first to be detained. This is not once or twice. This is the 11th time I have been placed under house arrest or police custody. I strongly condemn this high-handed behaviour of the police,” he said.
In Chengalpattu district, police also detained Congress cadres who attempted to organise a torchlight march as part of the protest.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district on January 23 to attend a public meeting organised by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Leaders from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), the Anbumani faction of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), and other NDA allies participated in the event.
The Madurantakam meeting marked the alliance’s first public rally and Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Tamil Nadu this year.