Police arrest TN BJP chief

Madurai: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran was arrested by the police on Thursday when he attempted, along with several other Hindutva activists, to go atop the Thirupparankundram hill here to light the ‘Karthigai Deepam’ oil lamp on a stone pillar there.

According to police, when Nagenthran and others, including the petitioner Rama Ravikumar, tried to go atop the hill to light the lamp, they were told in clear terms that they will not be permitted.

Also, it was conveyed to them that the government was preparing to go on an appeal against the High Court order that allowed lighting the lamp.

As Nainar and others did not disperse, they were taken in a police van and taken away from the spot that led to the hilltop, which is also close to the Thirupparankundram temple on the foothill.