ERODE/SALEM: R Velusamy, state president of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association, was detained in Erode on Saturday, hours before the outfit was to hold a rail blockade at Salem Junction railway station. The association wanted to block the Madurai-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express train at the Salem Junction around 4.30pm to protest Karnataka’s refusal to release Tamil Nadu’s rightful share of Cauvery water and its continued efforts to construct the Mekedatu dam across the river.Velusamy was detained at Surampatti police station in Erode.Condemning the police action, Velusamy alleged that the detention was intended to suppress the farmers’ voice and derail the agitation. “Despite the disruption, the association would continue to hold protests across Tamil Nadu, warning Karnataka that the struggle for the Cauvery water rights would intensify in the coming months,” he insisted.Velusamy argued that Karnataka’s actions severely affected Tamil Nadu farmers, depriving irrigation to nearly 25 lakh acres of agricultural land.
