The Tamil Nadu Government has begun to crack down on fringe political parties that are inciting violence in the state in the garb of staging protests. In particular, cadre of the Naam Tamilar Party, formed by Tamil movie director Seeman, is facing the heat. On Friday (1 June), police arrested the party’s organiser Vinayarasu on the charges of setting the employees quarters of UK based Vedanta’s Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi.

Tamil weekly Nakheeran reported on its website that Vinayarasu was picked up by police on 31 May for questioning by a special team headed by Inspector General of police Sailesh Kumar Yadav and he was arrested on Friday. He was produced before a local magistrate and remanded to jail.

Earlier this week, another Naam Tamilar cadre from Triplicane in Chennai was arrested for assaulting police during protests against the staging of Indian Premier League cricket match at M A Chidambaram stadium.

Tamil Nadu police have also arrested Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi founder-leader T K Velmurugan for staging protests against the Central and State Governments demanding Cauvery river water for the delta farmers. Charges of sedition have been filed against him.

With regard to protests in Thoothukudi demanding closure of the Sterlite copper plant that turned violent on 22 May resulting in 13 persons being killed in police firing, the cops are now trying to looking out for members of Makkal Adhigaram organisation. The special team has begun enquiry on who the members of the organisation are and their origins. So far, police have filed 27 cases and detained nearly 180 persons in this connection. The special police team is looking for more clues from various close circuit television cameras that have captured those who indulged in violence during the protests.