Chennai: Police detained more than 100 protesters in Chennai and Coimbatore on Sunday as members of youth and student organisations staged black flag demonstrations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and accusing the BJP-led Union govt of acting against the interests of the state and its people.In Chennai, the police detained 102 protesters from two separate demonstrations organised by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the May 17 Movement on Sunday, ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the city.Around 100 members of DYFI and SFI staged a black flag demonstration near Panagal Maligai in Saidapet, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and condemning alleged police excesses against protesters in Delhi.Holding black flags and chanting ‘Modi go back’ slogans, the protesters accused the BJP-led Union govt of electoral malpractice and questioned the Election Commission’s functioning. They also condemned the alleged detention of protesters in Delhi who had demanded accountability from election authorities.In a separate demonstration in T Nagar, around 70 members of the May 17 Movement staged a black flag protest against Modi’s visit, accusing the Union government of pursuing policies detrimental to Tamil Nadu, Tamils and the Tamil language. Police detained 46 protesters. The protesters accused the Centre of withholding funds due to Tamil Nadu, promoting Hindi at the expense of Tamil and denying Metro rail projects to Coimbatore and Madurai.“Modi has visited Tamil Nadu 41 times, including 26 visits for government-related programmes. We have consistently protested against his visits because of his policies against Tamil Nadu and its people,” said Thirumurugan Gandhi, founder of the May 17 movement.The protesters also accused the BJP of attempting to saffronise Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and alter his identity. They said Tamils revered Thiruvalluvar across religious and caste lines and that no political party had the right to appropriate his legacy.In Coimbatore, the SFI and DYFI staged a black-flag protest, marching from the district superintendent of police’s office and demonstrating near the exit of the district collectorate. Raising slogans such as “Narendra Modi, go back” and demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, they carried black flags and placards reading “Go Back Modi” and “CBE Made It Clear, Gyanesh It’s Done, Bro”.DYFI district secretary Dinesh Raja condemned the alleged detention of students and youth during protests in Delhi. He demanded action against police personnel accused of assaulting protesters and urged the state govt to protect students’ democratic rights.Separately, around 20 people staged a protest at the district DMK office in North Coimbatore under the banner of “All Organisations”, led by Cockroach Janatha Party (CJP). They demanded the release of CJP founder Abhijeet Deepke, Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and others.
