A Tamil refugee has been arrested in Tamil Nadu for holding a hunger strike demanding the Indian government hand him, his family and other Tamils who have fled Sri Lanka to the United Nations, instead of deporting them back to the island.
32-year-old Chenthuran was arrested by Tamil Nadu police from a camp in Cheyyar, earlier this week and is currently being held in Puzhal Prison in Chennai.
A police official said he was arrested on charges of attempting to commit suicide.
A source in the camp told the New Indian Express,
“Though the doctors checked Chenthuran this morning (Thursday) and said that he is healthy, the police arrested him, saying that he is trying to end his life by not consuming food. He was forcibly taken from the camp.”
Chenthuran had previously undertaken a hunger strike for 34 days earlier this year, after the Central government decided to deport him to Sri Lanka. He had challenged the decision, with the case still pending in court and with no arrests made during his previous protest.
See more from the New Indian Express here.
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