Date:10/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/10/stories/2008051060180800.htm

Tamil Nadu

Impart rights education to police personnel: PMK leader

Special Correspondent

G.K. Mani

CHENNAI: Education in human rights should be imparted to police personnel, besides school and college students, Pattali Makkal Katchi president G.K. Mani emphasised in the Assembly on Friday.

Participating in a debate on the demand for grants to Home, Prohibition and Excise departments, Mr. Mani expressed concern over violation of human rights by the police.

Referring to the storming of the Adiyamankottai police station by a gang in Dharmapuri district in February, he said family members of some volunteers of his party were detained by the police and harassed, though they had nothing to do with the incident.

P.K. Sekar Babu and V.P. Kalairajan (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) quoted statistics and contended that law and order in the State had deteriorated.

Mr. Babu attributed motives for the raid on the residence of a DVAC official after the government had set up a judicial commission to probe the issue. Tamil Nadu had become an arms bazaar, he alleged.

D. Yasodha, deputy leader of the Congress, said the practice of “twin tumblers” in eateries [wherein members of the Scheduled Castes were being served in tumblers separate from those used for other communities] had not yet been eradicated.

Commending Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for attracting more and more investors to the State, she said many new projects were coming up in her constituency Sriperumpudur.

When she said there were attempts to spoil peaceful climate on the industry front in the area and the police took a long time to intervene in a recent incident of violence on the Hyundai factory premises, Communist Party of India (Marxist) member K. Balabharathy wondered how launching of trade unions and hoisting of union flags could be regarded as something that was spoiling the industrial climate.

Solatium sought

V. Sivapunniyam (CPI) wanted solatium to be paid to those who were affected during the operations of the special task force against brigand Veerappan and who had not yet been provided any relief.

Manpower shortage

Veera Elavazhagan (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) referred to the manpower shortage in police stations. Udayasooriyan (DMK) said the crime rate had declined in the State after the DMK came back to power.