Tamil Nadu BJP president and senior leader detained for defying Section 144 while demanding court-ordered hilltop Karthigai Deepam lighting at Thiruparankundram.
Tamil Nadu BJP state president Nainar Nagendran and party veteran H. Raja were arrested by Madurai Police today during a protest at Thiruparankundram demanding the lighting of Karthigai Deepam at the hilltop Deepathoon pillar, despite a Madras High Court Madurai Bench single-judge order by Justice G.R. Swaminathan directing implementation by petitioner with police protection and lifting Section 144 curbs.
Nagendran, joined by BJP workers and Hindu Munnani activists, gathered near the site after police engaged in talks, citing an impending appeal against the order’s revocation of prohibitory orders, but protesters refused to disperse, leading to their bundling into vans.
Raja, arriving subsequently, faced the same fate as tensions escalated over yesterday’s defiance where devotees clashed with barricades despite court contempt threats.