Psephologist-turned politician Yogendra Yadav took to Twitter on Saturday to say that he was manhandled by the Tamil Nadu police while he was on his way to a farmers' protest against an eight-lane highway in the Tiruvannamalai district.
ANI reported that he was detained along with the farmers who were protesting against the highway.
Yadav said in a tweet that he was manhandled by the police, was pushed into a van and that his phone was taken away by force.
Alleging police atrocities against farmers who were protesting, Yadav said that the police told him that there was a law and order problem because of his presence.
He also put up a video of his interaction with the police when he was on his way to the protest venue.
Yadav said he was locked up inside a marriage hall along with others for over four hours and wasn't informed if he was under arrest or detained.
Reports say that Yadav was in Tamil Nadu to conduct an inquiry into whether farmers were willingly giving up their land for the highway project or were under police pressure.