Nearly 50 activists of Thanthai Periyar Dravida Kazhagam (TPDK) were arrested today when they attempted to stage a demonstration in front of the office of Indian Navy in protest against `failure to rescue fishermen caught in Ockhi Cyclone’.

Led by TPDK general secretary K Ramakrishnan, they raised slogans against the Naval force for not taking adequate steps to rescue the fishermen or carrying out search operations in the deep seas despite having sophisticated equipment.

They were also critical of the Central and Tamil Nadu governments and wanted Kanyakumari be declared as national disaster area. The activists demanded Rs 20 lakh be gives as compensation to the families of those who lost their lives in the cyclone, police said.