Arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Tirunelveli unrest
The arrest of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva on sedition charges set off unrest in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva had planned public celebrations of the release of the nationalist Bipin Chandra Pal. They refused the conditions set by the district authorities and were arrested on 12 March 1908 on charges of sedition. Their arrest was followed by riots and strikes in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, which were put down by the police. Chidambaram Pillai was given severe sentences, was held in Coimbatore Central Prison from July 1908, and was released only on 12 December 1912.
