Chennai, oct 13: Nearly 6500 farmers were arrested and later released in different parts of Tamil Nadu today for picketing electricity board offices, demanding continuation of free power supply to them. According to police sources, over 500 farmers each were taken into custody in Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Tiruchirappall cities, while hundreds of others in other district headquarters.
A spokesman of the Federation of Farmers' Association told reporters that the free power supply scheme was introduced during the DMK regime in 1990 to benefit nearly 18 lakh small and marginal farmers, but the present AIADMK government was taking all steps to 'discontinue the free power supply scheme', hitting the farmers hard.
Bureau Report