Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Day

From Gopal Ethiraj in Chennai

Chennai , 21 May. (Asiantribune.com): Former Prime Minister The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh paying floral tributes at the Samadhi of Late Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his 18th Martyrdom Day at Vir Bhoomi, in Delhi on May 21, 2009. Rajiv Gandhi’s 18th memorial day is being observed on May 21, today, when Rajiv Gandhi’s statue throughout the state would be garlanded by the leaders as is the practice.

With general elections just gone by and the Congress-led combine having captured the Centre, streams of leaders and party workers paying homage is expected. This is the day in 1991 Rajiv Gandhi attained martyrdom, being assassinated by the LTTE.

The ‘killer chief’ himself been killed now a couple of days before the Rajiv memorial day, it assumes significance in the sense the conflicting emotional moods. In this connection tight security arrangements have been posted by the Tamil Nadu police. All the statues of Rajiv in the state have been provided with armed personnel.

Round the clock vigil has been stepped up at the Rajiv memorial at Sriperumbudur.

Also, it gives police creeps as a rally is being planned by pro-LTTE groups. The Eelam Tamil Protection Movement has announced protest rallies at all district headquarters on May 21 to condemn civilian killings. MDMK chief Vaiko as also P. Nedumaran have given a call for a state-wide protest demo and rally at all the district headquarters. The president of the TN federation of Vyabarigal Societies. T. Vellaiyan has also given a call to business establishments and businessmen and others to join in large numbers in the rally.

Demise of Prabhakaran and Tamil Nadu

Past two days already many pro-Eelam groups expressed anguish through various means, mostly bordering on violence and stone throwing even as the news of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's body being recovered near Nandikadal in north-eastern Sri Lanka was flashed in the media yesterday.

In the Puzhal refugee camp, too, it evoked mixed reactions. On Tuesday, a group of eight refugees walked out of their camp and entered the GNT road connecting Red Hills and Puzhal. They threw stones at buses passing by. They broke the window panes of a bus and then stopped another one. After breaking the rear glass of the bus, they got in and set fire to the back seat. Shocked passengers and crew of the bus informed police men who were standing just 100 meters away. They in turn alerted the police station and rushed to the spot and arrested them.

Sporadic incidents of violence across Tamil Nadu were also reported on Tuesday. Major cities in the state were put on high alert and additional paramilitary forces were brought in for deployment in sensitive areas.

About 25 members of the Eelam Tamil Protection Forum and other pro-LTTE outfits, who staged a demonstration near the bus terminal in Salem city, threw stones at an interstate bus headed for Bangalore and smashed its windscreens. A city bus was also stoned and the driver suffered minor injuries.

Sporadic incidents of violence across Tamil Nadu

Two incidents of stone throwing in Cuddalore district were also reported in the last two days--a Kumbakonam-bound bus near Sethiyathope and a Cuddalore-bound bus at Vattathur. At least four state-owned transport corporation buses were damaged in stone throwing in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.

In Madurai, law students burnt the effigies of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh in front of the district courts and lawyers staged a demonstration. Pro-LTTE supporters resorted to road blockade at Goripalayam in the city.

About 250 paramilitary personnel from various regions and a team of 108 rapid action personnel from Hyderabad arrived in Madurai. City commissioner of police Abhash Kumar said the forces had been brought in as a precautionary measure. While the paramilitary forces arrived by train, the rapid action forces came by a special aircraft from Hyderabad. The forces would be sent to sensitive places if the need arose, police said.

Shops and business establishments remained closed in a few pockets in Cuddalore and Villupuram districts following reports about Prabhakaran’s death. The busy Vadalur junction wore a deserted look and most of the shops at Manjakuppam in Cuddalore town limits were closed.

A total of 87 persons, many of them belonging to the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam and MDMK, were taken into preventive custody across the state. On Monday there were stone pelting incidents in 18 places in the state.

Ten law college students, including two girls, were arrested on charges of blocking road traffic in the city on Tuesday in Madurai.Police said that the students came to the road near Goripalayam in protest against the Sri Lankan government for killing the innocent Tamils. They also shouted slogans against the Central and State governments for their indifferent attitude in this issue.

As vehicular traffic came to a standstill around the Thevar statue area, police picked up the agitators from the scene and registered a case. Meanwhile, a group of advocates in Madurai district courts’ staged a demonstration, condemning the killings in the island nation. They shouted slogans against the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and urged to stop the war.

After protest for some time, the agitators dispersed. Traffic was diverted in the area for about 30 minutes, police said.

In Gudalur, hundreds of persons including a large number of women took out a procession on Tuesday in protest against the killing of the LTTE chief.

According to the police, processions were also organized in other places including Pandhalur, Arattuparai, Nellakotai, Bitherkad, Cherambadi and Kotagiri. In Gudalur and Pandhalur, shops remained closed for the better part of the day.

In Vellore the bar association has announced a two-day boycott in protest against the mass killings of Tamils. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi stage a road-roko.

Judge’s car set afire

Unidentified persons set fire to a car of Madras high court judge Chockalingam in Karaikudi on Monday night. The car was parked on the premises of the magistrate quarters in Karaikudi, the home town of the judge. The driver, who was sleeping inside the building, rushed out on hearing the tyre burst and saw the vehicle in flames.

The car was completely damaged before the fire service arrived on the spot. Police have registered a case and investigations are on.

S Pragasam (53), an MDMK cadre hailing from Kurinjipadi in Cuddalore district, attempted self-immolation in the district.

Police said the man, an LTTE sympathiser, set himself afire and ran into the street raising pro-LTTE slogans. He was rushed to Cuddalore government hospital and later referred to Puducherry government hospital, the police added.

- Asian Tribune -