As many as 20 members of the Tamil Puligal Katchi, who attempted to stage a Rail Roko, were arrested at the Coimbatore Junction railway station here on Saturday. The protest was carried out to condemn the Central Government for permitting the Kerala government to construct a dam on the Siruvani River.

“The river is an important water resource for seven districts, including Coimbatore, Tirupur, and Erode. If it is blocked with another dam, then people in these districts will be deprived of water,” said V. Marx, one of the members.

He further added that the Tamil Nadu government had not taken necessary steps to stop the dam construction.

“It is because of the inability of the state government that the neighbouring states are depriving us of our water. Both the state government and the Centre should make sure that the people of Tamil Nadu get water,” added Marx.

The arrested members were later released by the police.