Several Muslim organisations, led by the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi (MJK), held a protest outside Triplicane mosque in Chennai demanding the release of 36 Muslim prisoners on Wednesday.The issues arose after several parties brought a motion in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday seeking the release of 36 Muslim prisoners, of which 16 were involved in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast.
AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami urged the state to release them, saying that they’ve been in prison for more than 20 years. He also cited their health conditions.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin replied that a list of 49 eligible life term prisoners had already been selected and documents recommending their release had been sent to Governor RN Ravi for his assent.
Stalin also asked why the AIADMK was showing sudden concern over the Muslim prisoners’ releases and alleged that AIADMK had not done anything when in power for 10 years. This led to a ruckus in the Assembly and AIADMK MLAs staging a walkout.