Chennai, May 8 (IANS): Protesting members of Joint Action Committee of Tamil Nadu Teachers' Organisations-Government Employees' Organisations (JACTTO-GEO) were on Tuesday taken into custody here, the police said.

Their demands include reverting to old pension scheme, payment of arrears and rectification of anomalies in the recommendations made by the pay commission.

The protesters in large numbers were taken into custody when they tried to take out a march towards the state secretariat.

Earlier, the police had arrested key members of JACTTO-GEO as a measure to prevent the protest.

Traffic flow was affected on the arterial Anna Salai and Kamarajar Salai owing to the protests in the morning, putting the office-goers to trouble.

Condemning the police action against the protesting teachers and state government employees, DMK leader M.K. Stalin urged the government for their release.

Stalin met the JACTTO-GEO members who were taken into custody.

He urged Chief Minister K. Palaniswami to call JACTTO-GEO members for talks and find a solution to the issue.