Imprisonment

Ayya Vaikundar begins his mission

Ayya Vaikundar began the teachings that gave rise to Ayyavazhi, a movement that challenged caste rules in southern Travancore.

Ayya Vaikundar imprisoned by the Travancore king

Ayya Vaikundar, founder of Ayyavazhi, was arrested on the orders of the Travancore king and held at Singarathoppe jail.

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.

Death of the young satyagrahi Thillaiyadi Valliammai

Valliammai, a 16-year-old daughter of Tamil immigrants from Thillaiyadi, died after imprisonment in Gandhi's South African satyagraha.

Vaikom Satyagraha

A satyagraha in Travancore demanded that people of oppressed castes be allowed to use the roads around the Vaikom temple; E. V. Ramasamy took part.

Thevar jailed during Pasumalai mill strike

Muthuramalinga Thevar was jailed for seven months while leading a strike at the Mahalakshmi Mills in Pasumalai near Madurai.

Periyar jailed and elected Justice Party president

E. V. Ramasamy was imprisoned for his role in the anti-Hindi agitation and was elected president of the Justice Party while in jail.

Deaths of Natarajan and Thalamuthu in custody

Anti-Hindi protesters L. Natarajan and Thalamuthu died after being jailed, and were claimed as the first martyrs of the anti-Hindi movement.

K. Kamaraj becomes TNCC president

K. Kamaraj was elected president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, beginning his rise as the leading Congress organiser in the region.

Kamaraj elected Virudhunagar municipal chairman while in jail

While imprisoned for opposing war contributions, K. Kamaraj was elected chairman of the Virudhunagar municipality.

Quit India Movement in the Tamil districts

Congress leaders in the Tamil region were arrested as the Quit India Movement began, followed by strikes, sabotage and police firing.

Death of S. Satyamurti

Congress leader S. Satyamurti, a former Mayor of Madras and mentor of K. Kamaraj, died in Madras.

Lakshmikanthan murder case

Film stars M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan were convicted in the murder of journalist C. N. Lakshmikanthan, later freed on appeal.

DMK workers jailed under MISA during the Emergency

After the DMK government's dismissal, many party workers including M. K. Stalin were jailed in Madras Central Prison under MISA.

Karunanidhi government dismissed; President's rule imposed

During the Emergency the Union government dismissed the DMK ministry and imposed President's rule in Tamil Nadu.

Vaiko arrested under POTA

MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for a speech supporting the LTTE and spent over a year and a half in jail.

Sasikala convicted; Edappadi K. Palaniswami becomes Chief Minister

After the Supreme Court restored V. K. Sasikala's conviction, AIADMK legislators chose Edappadi K. Palaniswami as Chief Minister.

Life sentences in the Pollachi sexual assault case

All nine accused in the Pollachi case were found guilty by a Mahila court in Coimbatore and given life imprisonment.