Chennai, October 5 (IANS) Police in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, has designed a new set of rules to control protests, public meetings, demonstrations and processions, aims to reduce traffic obstacles and discomfort due to large political ceremonies.
On 27 September, during the rally of Cine Star-Politician Vijay, the draft of rules was prepared after a stampede at Karur, killing 41 people and injuring more than 60 others.
According to the new guidelines, political parties and organizations will be allowed to organize such events only at specified places. These include Therilai Thiddal on Raja Street, South Taluk Office on Hussur Road, Shivanand Colony, Vallimai Bakery in Ukkad and Kamaraj Nagar Junction in Sunderpuram.
Officials said that the move is often aimed at bringing orders in congested areas and ensuring public safety. A senior police officer said that the participant number in these events can be shaved on the basis of the size of each site.
“When the crowd exceeds the safe range, it leads to a severe crowd and disrupts normal life. New rules have been prepared to avoid such situations and the district administration has been presented for approval. The final decision will be taken after discussion with political parties,” the officer explained.
He said that sites would be assigned to the scale and nature of events. For example, places such as Therillai Thidal, Kamaraj Nagar Junction, Laurie Pet in Ukkad, Shivanand Colony and Tatabad will be suitable for meetings of 1,000 to 5,000 people. Meanwhile, the procession is limited to a distance of 1.2 km from Karumbukadai to Lorri Pet Ukkadam.
However, the move has drawn mixed reactions from political groups. District CPI (M) Secretary C. Padmanabhan called new sanctions impractical, especially short routes allocated for processions.
He said, “We have held an all-party meeting with representatives of Congress, CPI (M), MDMK and VCK to discuss these issues. Suggestions have been made, and we are planning to meet with the district administration and police to search for additional places for protests and rallies,” he said.
In parallel, the rural police have taken equal steps by identifying 36 protest places, 23 places for public meetings, 43 for road-corer celebrations, and seven for processions. Officials said the objective is to maintain balance between the rights of the peaceful assembly and maintain public system, while political leaders have urged flexibility to adjust democratic expression.
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Aal/DPB