Coimbatore police arrested members of the Puratchikara Ilaignar Munnani (Revolutionary Youth Front or RYF) on Friday after they attempted to send Prime Minister Narendra Modi some sanitary napkins in the post, according to media reports. The gesture was intended as an act of protest against the government’s imposition of the 12% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the feminine hygiene product.
Activists around the country have strongly criticized the government for imposing the GST on the essential item, declaring that the product should not be classified as a luxury good because they are regularly needed by nearly half the population.
The police arrested the group’s members, including three women, when they were trying to send the napkins from Coimbatore’s main post office.