Not free even after independence: TN farmers after police

Farmers from Tamil Nadu staging a protest at Jantar Mantar here were detained by the police overnight for "security reasons", following which their leader P Ayyakkannu today said the tillers were "not free" even after 70 years of Independence.
The farmers were picked up from the protest site around 8 pm yesterday and detained at Parliament Street Police Station. They were dropped back at the site around 11 am today, the police said.
"Although many other protesters were present in Jantar Mantar, only we were taken to the police station and kept there overnight. We do not know who is instigating all this," farmer leader P Ayyakkannu said.

"We received information that the protesters would stage their agitation near the Red Fort. For this security issue we took them to the police station," a police officer said.
Ayyakkannu said, "It looks like freedom is applicable only to those who rule and not to farmers like us. We are being treated as slaves in the country."
"We are going to the British High Commission tomorrow to ask if the Independence which we got in 1947 does apply to farmers also," he said.