Chennai: A week after the Madras High Court gave the nod for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct a route march followed by a public meeting across the State on October 2, the Tamil Nadu Government has refused permission citing law and order problems.
Police justification for the denial of permission for RSS march is that in the wake of NIA raids on Popular Front of India (PFI) premises and their functionaries across the India, arrest of their leaders, violent incidents like hurling of petrol bombs at the premises of BJP and RSS functionaries and the subsequent Union Government order declaring PFI as an Unlawful Organisation for five years.
Police said the permission was not granted for RSS as the situation was not conducive to hold the route march and the public meeting. Central and State intelligence agencies had issued alerts that following the ban on PFI and its associates/affiliates/fronts under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, imposed by the Union Government, there was a possibility that some anti-social elements could resort to protests and activities that might disrupt peace and cause harm to public life/property.
Police also denied permission for VCK, CPI and CPI(M) to organise human chain demonstration against the RSS march on October two. While VCK Founder and Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan wanted the court to withdraw permission granted to the RSS route march, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K.S.Alagiri urged the ruling DMK to move Supreme Court to ban the RSS rally.
Following a petition filed by the RSS against police denying permission for the route march, police have also filed a plea in the High Court seeking to review its order September 22 order.
It may be recalled that the bench of Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan directed the state authorities to grant permission to RSS before September 28 to take out processions at 51 places throughout Tamil Nadu on October 2, subject to certain conditions. Though the court had granted permission, Chief Minister M K Stalin denied the permission for conducting rallies.
While granting the permission, the Judge directed the State Home Secretary, DGP and other top police officers in the districts to grant the permission before September 28, after obtaining the procession routes from the organisers and imposing stringent conditions to maintain law and order.
The procession was to commemorate the founding day of the RSS, to celebrate the 75th year of India’s Independence and the centenary of B R Ambedkar. The rallies will be conducted peacefully without creating any law and order problem, the RSS had told the court.
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