Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the MK Stalin-led DMK government, accusing it of carrying out an “inhumane and anarchic” crackdown on protesting sanitation workers in Chennai.
Posting on X, Vijay wrote, “Condemn the fascist DMK government for arresting sanitation workers, who have been peacefully fighting for their rights, in an inhumane and anarchic manner in the dead of night!”
Women Workers Injured During Police Action
The arrests took place late Wednesday night when Chennai police moved in to disperse sanitation workers who had been staging a 13-day sit-in outside the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) Ripon Building.
The move followed a Madras High Court order directing that the protest site be cleared.
According to reports, several women workers collapsed during the operation and were allegedly dragged away, sustaining injuries.
Vijay called the scenes “unbearable” for anyone with a conscience and demanded urgent medical attention for the injured.
“Immediate medical assistance and treatment must be provided to the injured, and necessary measures should be taken promptly to safeguard their health,” he said.
“This Is Not Democracy, But Tyranny”
Vijay alleged that the arrested workers were held in multiple locations, without the ability to contact their families or receive help.
“To detain them in a way that prevents even communication with their families—are sanitation workers anti-national elements? Looking at this cruel action, it becomes crystal clear that what is happening in Tamil Nadu is not democracy but tyranny,” he said.
He also criticised the DMK for failing to fulfil assurances it had made while in opposition, urging the government to release the workers immediately and provide an alternative protest site.
Protest Against Privatisation
Around 800 sanitation workers employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) have been opposing the GCC’s decision to hand over waste management in Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar (Zone 6) to private companies.
Workers say the move would jeopardise job security, cut incomes, and expose them to exploitation. From August 1, these two zones—among the last still managed directly by the GCC—are scheduled to be outsourced. Ten of Chennai’s 15 zones are already handled by firms such as Urbaser-Sumeet of Spain and Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd from Andhra Pradesh.
The protesting employees are demanding permanent positions and continued operation of sanitation services under the NULM, rather than shifting to private contracts.
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