Madurai: A ban reversal isn’t the only good thing that emerged out of Jallikattu row– in an unusual show of unity, district and High Court lawyers of Madurai have come together to help the victims of police excesses , a first of its kind.

Thousands of students and peaceful protesters have been taken into custody for being there in solidarity with the rest. This isn’t the first time that such brutality have come to the fore, it has happened in the past, despite being captured in videos and in TV cameras, this continues to be.

And in such times, they need legal help. “ Yes, we are happy to help in our own capacity as lawyers. We will stand by victims of such excesses. We will help them without taking any fees,” P Kanagavel, Advocate told Covai Post. Several cases of vandalism by the police have got reported.

A fisher woman went on record saying she was beaten up for helping protesters use toilets. Ladies were dragged out of the loo to be beaten up. In her locality, an entire fish market was set on fire by police personnel and fish and facilities worth several lakhs were destroyed. And the surprising element in all of this was, that the perpetrators were all women personnel.

Residents of Nadukuppam Rutharpuram, Venkatarangam Pillai street, Canal Street and Munuswamy Nagar near Triplicane, as well as Hanumanthapuram and Rotary Nagar continue to live under the wrath of police with many more men and women being threatened or picked up by the police. “We are currently visiting the places, watching videos captured by people who were present. We are also searching for victims so that cases can be filed,” N. Kathirvel, Advocate, Madurai High Court told Covai Post. He adds, “Initiatives like these will help people come out and report of excesses.”

Echoing the same thought, A. John Vincent, Advocate says, “The government shouldn’t consider organisations that supported the protest as anti social elements. We are there for them,”