Several activists, including leaders of Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK), were arrested by the Coimbatore Police on Thursday. The activists were protesting against the RSS for conducting a shakha and camp inside a private school's premises in the city.
Addressing the protest, K Ramakrishnan, TPDK general secretary, said that the RSS' actions would create fear and unrest among the ordinary people in the area. He was forcibly lifted from the agitation area and put inside a police vehicle.
"The RSS is an organisation that spreads hatred and mistrust among the people and the police should not have given assent for its camp in the school premises. We held the protest to make the world aware of what the RSS is doing. Our public action has made the local people understand what the RSS exactly is and what its agenda is," said Ramakrishnan.
The Police allege that the activists turned violent outside the school. The RSS was conducting a week-long orientation programme, called 'Prathamik Shiksha Varg', for its lower-level cadre, in the school premises from December 24. The programme would conclude on Friday. The protestors have been taken into custody and are lodged at a wedding hall in Villankurichi near Coimbatore, the police said.