As many as 50 activists of Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) were arrested in Puducherry on Saturday for staging a rail roko to protest the BJP prime minister-elect Narendra Modi’s decision to invite Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
The activists, shouting slogans, sat on the track in front of the Puducherry-Tirupati train, which was to depart at 1.15 pm. However, police removed them from the spot and arrested them. The train started after a 20-minute delay.
NTK leader Mohammed Raffique said the BJP was toeing the same line as Congress, which took an anti-Tamil stand in the final stages of the civil war in the island nation.
Raffique added that Rajapaksa should be tried for war crimes. By inviting the Lankan president, BJP has insulted the people of TN and hurt the sentiments of Tamil diaspora, he further said. - Express News Service
