in Kumbakonam and demanded removal of the 'controversial sentences'. Party activists tore up banners of Vijay and movie director Atlee. In Tiruchirapalli, HMK members staged a demonstration in front of a theatre, while similar protests were held at Ottenchathram in Dindigul and in Chennai. The movie ran into trouble soon after its 18 October 2017 release, coinciding with Diwali, over 'incorrect references' to the GST. In 2008 and 2009 party members got temporarily arrested by the police to block them from staging nationalistic demonstrations on the island of Kachchatheevu, which belongs to Sri Lanka. In 2009, Tamil fishermen got arrested by Sri Lankan Navy. To protect them, HMK supporters started agitations and pressurized Indian Govt to take responsibility of them and rescue them from Sri Lanka. When former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited Tamil Nadu, HMK supporters showed black flag as central govt failed to rescue Tamil fisherman from Sri Lankan navy. 19 supporters got arrested and removed from Gandhi park area by police. Not only Sri Lanka issue they also sought about handling problems in bilateral relations with Pakistan and China. The party also made repeatedly headlines with peaceful charges against women. It pressed charges against the movie stars Khushbu (2006), Shriya Saran (2008) and Mallika Sherawat (2008) for "indecent dressing" and "offending Hindu values". Party members also harassed women visiting pubs and young couples being out on Valentine's Day. The Party's president Arjun Sampath claimed that 1000 Dalit Christians will be reconverted to Hinduism at Tirunelveli which gains significance in the backdrop 9 March police shootout in which two people were killed when clashes broke out between the members of upper caste Catholics and Dalit Catholics. The party's five activists were arrested for indulging in demolition of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's statue installed in front of the Rajagopuram of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. In 2017, Hindu Makkal Katchi leader strongly opposed the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second time visit to Sri Lanka next month, where he was going to participate in the United Nations Vesak Celebrations which was held from 12 to 14 May 2017. This 'International Day of Vesak' was hosted by the Buddhist-majority country and the commemorations in Colombo was also include an International Buddhist Conference in which over 400 delegates from more than 100 countries. In November 2019, Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath was detained following his draping of saffron