The Madras High Court on Friday granted permission for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, scheduled for March 18. Sources earlier said that the district police administration had refused to grant permission for the roadshow, citing various reasons, including security risks.
However, the court has directed the police to permit the roadshow, with certain conditions imposed.
“There shall be a direction to the police to grant the permission and necessary police protection by imposing reasonable conditions,” the court said.
The court said that such conditions shall also include the route through which the roadshow will take place, the distance to be covered throughout the roadshow, and a restriction on the erection of flex boards during the event.
It also urged the party workers shall obey the conditions imposed by the police.
The roadshow was part of PM Modi’s South India tour ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP had sought permission for a 3.6-kilometre roadshow in the industrial-textile city.
Security risks, the communal history of Coimbatore, and inconvenience for the general public, especially students, were some of the reasons earlier cited by police for denying the permission, sources had said.
The culminating point of the Prime Minister’s roadshow was RS Puram, which was one of the locations where the 1998 serial blasts had taken place.
Moreover, no political parties or groups were given permission for roadshows given the communally sensitive nature of Coimbatore, sources earlier said.
The officials also noted that public exams are scheduled for March 18 and 19, and there are multiple schools located along the proposed route for the roadshow.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
