Chennai: Tamil Nadu police have detained 35 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members for staging a protest in front of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's residence without any permission and breaching his security by placing a demand to deliver justice to Lavanya. The National Secretary of ABVP Nidhi Tripathi was also detained for participating in the protest on Monday.
Overall 32 members of the detained protesters were remanded in judicial custody by a metropolitan magistrate court until February 28.
The ABVP from its official handle said, "DMK Govt. of Tamil Nadu used police to arrest the National Gen. Secy. Nidhi Tripathi & other Karyakartas for demanding #JusticeForLavanya in Chennai."
"We condemn this attempt by DMK led Govt., You can't suppress our voice by using police. We will fight till Lavanya gets justice," the handle said.
According to a report on The Indian Express, the protesters reportedly ran into the residence of the Chief Minister and failed to cooperate with the police deployed at the leader's house.
Hence, the police said, the act of the protestors made them drag the ABVP members out of the area.
The death of a Class 12 girl by suicide in Thanjavur on January 19 led to a series of controversies, especially over a conversion row. The girl hours before her death in her dying statement said that she took the extreme step since her hostel warden reportedly forced her to perform additional work.
However, the BJP and ABVP started alleging that the girl reportedly killed herself since she was forced to convert her religion. They also circulated a purported video of the girl saying that the hostel authorities asked the family about converting the girl.