27 Students Arrested For Glaring At Witnesses In Chennai Court

Local police said the students were inspired by actor Dhanush's latest movie 'Asuran' and wanted to replicate the scenes in the courtroom in a bid to scare the witnesses.

Representational Picture (AFP)

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): At least 27 college students were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly staring and glaring at witnesses in a courtroom here. The students were accused of trying to intimidate the witnesses in a case related to the murder of a brick kiln owner in Tiruvallur in 2018. The arrested youth were first and second-year students of the Nandanam government Arts and Science College and were brought in to the court to help their classmate who is a cousin of two men accused in the murder case, The Indian Express reported. Local police said the students were inspired by actor Dhanush's latest movie 'Asuran'  and wanted to replicate the scenes in the courtroom in a bid to scare the witnesses. One of the witnesses alerted the cops at the courtroom about the stare of the youth following which 27 of the 30 students were swiftly held. However, the cousin of the murder accused managed to flee in the melee “There were six witnesses to be heard. As the court procedure was on, one of the witnesses alerted an officer about the suspicious presence of youth inside the hall who were staring at him and others. As the statements of witnesses were being heard in a tense environment, these students had been asked to intimidate them. There were some 30 students and we managed to arrest 27,” The Indian Express quoted an officer who was present in court while the incident took place. Reports say the arrested students were remanded in the city’s Puzhal Central Jail.