Scores of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam activists were arrested on Thursday after they resorted to road blockade across the state protesting Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's alleged derogatory remarks against party supremo Jayalalithaa.
Shouting slogans against Karunanidhi, the AIADMK workers, including a large number of women, some legislators and former ministers, blocked roads at different places in Chennai, throwing traffic out of gear, police said.
The irate workers also burnt effigies of Karunanidhi and copies of DMK organ Murasoli.
The top-rung leaders of the AIADMK, including Presidium chairman E Madhusudanan, organising secretary Sulochana Sampath, former ministers D Jayakumar and B Valarmathi, were among those arrested.
Madhusudanan alleged that Karunanidhi had been hurling abuses and derogatory remarks against Jayalalithaa.
"He has insulted the womenfolk, which is highly condemnable," he added.
In Villupuram district, a police inspector suffered burns on his legs when he attempted to prevent the agitators from burning copies of Murasoli near Kottaikuppam, police said.
While about 2,500 workers, including 1,100 women, were arrested in the city, the figure might cross 5,000 all over the state, the sources added.
Office-goers bore the brunt of the agitation as the traffic was paralysed on the arterial Anna Road, leading to a long serpentine queue of vehicles.
Accusing Karunanidhi of making 'derogatory' remarks, Jayalalithaa had on Tuesday warned that AIADMK cadres would not be mere spectators if he went on making such remarks.
In the Union Territory of Puducherry, around 350 AIADMK workers, including two MLAs, were arrested when they set fire to an effigy of Karunanidhi and copies of Murasoli.
A report from Ramanathapuram quoting the police said 230 AIADMK workers had been taken into custody in the district.
In Dindigul district, police arrested 850 persons while in Theni district around 750, inlcuding MLA Ganesan, were taken into custody.
Virudhunagar district accounted for 160 arrests, police said. A Tiruchirappalli report said 149 AIADMK workers, including MLA M Paranjothi, were arrested in the city when they staged the protest in front of a Periyar statue.
In Madurai itself there were no protests and party sources said they wanted to avoid arrest and remand of workers which could affect the party's campaign work in the coming byelection to Madurai West Assembly constituency.
A report from Puducherry said the AIADMK workers burnt an effigy of Karunanidhi. They also set fire to copies of Murasoli and held a demonstration, police said.
The arrested, including MLAs A Anbalagan and Om Sakthi Segar, were later released.
