Twenty farmers from Tamil Nadu’s Melma and surrounding districts were arrested by the police on November 4, based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed in August 2023. At their recent bail hearing, it was hinted that the police may detain them under the Goondas Act. The arrested farmers have been protesting the acquisition of wetlands for the State Industries Promotion Corporation Of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) in Cheyyar Tiruvannamalai, fearing loss of livelihood.
Vinayagam, a farmer from the Uzhavan Urimai Iyakkam from Chengam in Tiruvannamalai district, told TNM that 20 people were taken into custody on November 4, for an FIR registered two months ago. “That FIR was filed when they were walking to attend a hearing in August. In the FIR, the police allege that the group got into a quarrel with them en route. Now we fear that the police will detain them under the Goondas Act. If that happens, it will not be possible for us to bail them out easily,” Vinayagam said.
33 farmers who opposed the land acquisition were named in the case, out of whom 20 have been arrested. Vinayagam said that the arrested farmers, alongside other farmers in the neighbouring villages, have been peacefully protesting for several years now, and several women were at the forefront of these protests. “The women are now afraid that they might be arrested if they protest again,” he added. Farmers from Cheyyar, Melma, and neighbouring villages have been holding peaceful sit-in protests on their patta land, opposing the acquisition of 3,000 acres for over 125 days.
14 activists including Nityanand Jayaraman from Chennai Solidarity Group, Jayaram Venkatesan from Arapoor Iyakkam, G Sundarrajan from Poovulagin Nanbargal, and Aruna Roy from Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan have condemned the police’s move. They have noted that the project will take over 3,000 acres of agricultural wetland from several villages around Cheyyar. The activists, in a combined statement, cited that five of the 20 farmers have been transferred to various jails across Tamil Nadu including jails in Madurai, Trichy, Cuddalore, and Coimbatore, and have called it a form of harassment. They also added that since another FIR was filed against these farmers in July, the combined charges may prolong their imprisonment.
Citizen rights worker and co-founder of Arapoor Iyakkam Jayaram Venkatesan asked in a statement, “Why were they (the arrested farmers) not given any notice for enquiry under 41A? The sections under which they were booked have a maximum punishment of 5 years. The Supreme Court has clearly said that remand under 7 years of punishment should not be done mechanically and they should satisfy the conditions laid down in 41 CrPc.”
According to the said Section of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), a person need not be arrested immediately unless they try to escape trial, threaten witnesses, or destroy witnesses.
Tagging Chief Minister MK Stalin and his office, Jayaram further noted on social media platform X, “Arapoor views that the arrest has been made with the aim of stifling the free speech of farmers and crushing the critical questioning of state action. The arrest is also meant to be a “chilling example” to scare other farmers in the future. We demand that the cases against the farmers be immediately withdrawn and that they be released immediately.”