TN records the highest number of protests in India

            As per the data from the Union home ministry, Tamil Nadu recorded 15,746 demonstrations in 2011, an average of 44 a day, moret han any other state in the country. Uttarakhand was a distant second, with 8,610 protests. Maharashtra (8,289) was in third place, followed by Punjab (7,554) and Karnataka (5,013).Among the states with the fewest demonstrations were Sikkim (0), Tripura (2) and Mizoram (3).

In Tamil Nadu, as in most other states, a majority of the protests were organised by political parties (6,334).Government employees (2,487),other workers (1,049 ) and groups of communities (731) were also responsible for a large number of demonstrations. A total of 73,341 agitations were held across the country in 2011, an average of 204 a day. The bureau did not estimate financial losses from the protests.

According to the bureaus data, the Communist-leaning and protest-prone states of West Bengal (1,352) and Kerala (825),which usually record a large number of agitations, were nowhere among the states at the top of the table. Experts said that, this apparent discrepancy could indicate that police and other departments under-recorded protests in these states.

Protests are underreported in several states. Tamil Nadu Police officials said that, the police permit agitations only with police permission so the numbers for Tamil Nadu are probably more accurate.  Columnist and political analyst G Nani said an increase in awareness may also have led to a spike in the number of agitations in the state. A political observer said many political parties organised protests on a regular basis only to give themselves a semblance of legitimacy. A party that does not hold regular protests cannot survive in this country.

However, CPM Tamil Nadu secretary G Ramakrishnan said that was a cynical way of looking at protests. Parties do not hold protests only to take on other parties, but also to highlight social issues and fight for justice for the common man.

Experts were surprised that students were responsible for only 440 of the 15,746 demonstrations in 2011.Students Federation of India state president K S Kanagaraj attributed this to a lack of freedom in educational institutions. Most private colleges do not tolerate any kind of dissent.

Social activists noted that there had been a rise in the number of protests across the country, but this was accompanied by a fall in their effectiveness. A former civil servant M G Devasahayam said that, the voice of the people is being ignored by the government. The government now simply ignores protests. It couldn’t care any more.  He said that, the government now suppresses a citizens right to protest. People take to the streets when they fail to get justice, but the authorities often try to stifle protests.

MOST AGITATED		LEAST AGITATED
State	No of Protests	State	No of Protests
Tamil Nadu	15, 746	Meghalaya	22
Uttarakhand	8,610	Haryana	7
Maharashtra	8, 289	Mizoram	3
Punjab	7, 554	Tripura	2
Karnataka	5, 013	Sikkim	0