Date:25/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/25/stories/2006082519670300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Agitating law students held

Staff Reporter

They continued road roko despite court directive

CARRIED AWAY: A law student who fainted during the protest on Thursday is being taken by his colleagues for help. — PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

CHENNAI: The police arrested 101 students, including five women, of the Central Law College, Salem, on Thursday.

According to a police note, the students resorted to road blockade in the last two days in vantage points, which disrupted normal traffic and caused hardship to the common man.

Despite the court directive on Wednesday that the students should not indulge in lawless activities, they continued with their agitation on Thursday, which extended till late night, near Kuralagam.

The students' plea was that their college management collected excess fee from them though they were selected on government quota. They demanded government's intervention in the issue immediately and staged a demonstration. Even after an assurance from the State Law Minister, I. Periasamy, to the students that he would look into the issue, the students continued the stir. When they came to block the traffic near Esplanade, police arrested them detained them in a community centre near Egmore.

Later in the evening, the police registered cases against them and produced them before the Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate court, which remanded them to judicial custody till September 7. They were taken to Vellore prisons.

The college secretary, D. Saravanan said the management had been admitting students as per the allotment letter from the Dr. Ambedkar Law University.

"We have been collecting fee from the students, enrolled under the Government quota, as per the Court order and there was no violation as pointed out by some students."