Release of prisoners begins

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 3. Release of nearly 22,000 persons taken into preventive custody in the State following the arrest of the former Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, commenced today.

Almost all of them came out, the Director-General of Police, Mr. A. Ravindranath, told The Hindu.

The detention was made in the wake of the arrest of Mr. Karunanidhi and two Union Ministers, Mr. T. R. Baalu and Mr. Murasoli Maran and during the bandh called to protest the ``human rights violations''.

Cadres refuse to leave

Our Coimbatore Staff Reporter Writes:

The 3,700-odd DMK cadres, who were taken into preventive custody, refused to leave the Central Prison in Coimbatore this afternoon even after the Government issued `release' orders.

The activists of Erode, Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts were lodged in the prison since sub-jails had started overflowing.

The prison can accommodate only about 2,200 persons. A number of fundamentalist undertrials are there. With the entry of political prisoners, the prison started overflowing. The authorities had a nightmarish experience during the past three days in providing food, water and shelter to the inmates.

When the Government decided to release all prisoners today, they refused to be released, demanding that Mr. Karunanidhi be released and all charges against him dropped.

The DIG of Prisons, Coimbatore Range, Mr. B. M. Ezra and the Superintendent of Prisons, Mr. G. Doss, were persuading them to leave the prison. While about 50 left, that too after registering protest, more than 3,000 continued to remain in jail, keeping the authorities on tenterhooks.

Ex-Speaker, Azhagiri freed

Our Madurai Staff Reporter reports:

Hundreds of cadres, including former Assembly Speaker, Mr. P.T.R. Palanivelrajan, Mayor, Mr. P. Kulandaivelu, and former MLAs, were released from the Madurai Central Prison this evening.

According to police sources, out of the total of 2,870 persons held, a majority were released except those with specific charges. Mr. Karunanidhi's son, Mr. M.K. Azhagiri, was also released.

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