Mullaperiyar row: Vijaykant, DMDK cadres held for attempting protest

DMDK founder Vijaykant and over 200 of his party workers were arrested today after they tried to stage a black flag demonstration against Prime Minister Mamnohan Singh over the Mullaperiyar Dam issue.

Vijaykant and his party workers were arrested at Saidapet area in the city, the route taken by Singh this morning to attend a function at Madras University, police said.

The Prime Minister had arrived here last evening and stayed overnight at the Raj Bhavan. He attended a function at Madras University today to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of mathematics wizard Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Earlier, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner J K Tripathy had warned that those staging black flag demonstrations would be arrested.