Sengottai limps back to normality

Although the curfew was lifted, a large posse of police personnel have been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents. Sengottai Inspector Suresh Kumar on Saturday said 12 persons have been held for their role in the violence and are being interrogated. The police have filed six cases under various sections of the IPC and Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992.

The trouble began when a group of Muslims objected to the idol procession which was passing the Keela Pallivasal Street on Thursday night. Sources said members of some Hindu outfits burst crackers and danced while entering the street. This led to a reported altercation with a few Muslim residents, who expressed their displeasure.

Subsequently, as tension escalated, the two groups hurled stones at each other leaving around ten persons injured. Except for one man, who had breathing difficulties, others were treated as out-patients in a hospital. Among the injured victims, two suffered bleeding. Another incident on the Pumphouse Street left 18 vehicles including five cars and four auto-rickshaws damaged, the Inspector said.

“The idol procession through this street has been peaceful for the last 25 years. The same route was earmarked this time as usual. There was disturbance only this time,” Sub Inspector of Police, P Muthamilselvan said.

There was a third incident of stone pelting in the town on Friday, when a few unidentified miscreants, who hid themselves in a coconut grove and behind a meat stall, hurled stones targeting the procession. Shops remained closed after stones were pelted at a few of them.

Tirunelveli Collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish convened a peace committee meeting involving Revenue department officials and representatives from the two groups on Friday. However, the district administration clamped Section 144 of the CrPC to maintain law and order. The curfew was enforced from 12 pm on Friday till 6 am on Saturday, when it was lifted.

Inspector General of Police (South Zone) K P Shanmuga Rajeswaran, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Tirunelveli Range) Kapil Kumar Saratkar had camped in the town to oversee security arrangements. A total of 32 idols were immersed in various parts of the town on Friday and Saturday after they were carried in procession through earmarked routes. Meanwhile, relatives of the 12 arrested persons gheraoed the Sengottai taluk office on Saturday demanding their release.

Tiruchy: The Vinayakar idol immersion procession which started here on Saturday passed off peacefully despite tussle between the police and Hindu outfits who demanded permission for the installation of more number of idols in the city.

There was also a heated argument between BJP National Secretary H Raja and the police in Pudukkottai.

As many as 176 idols were placed in the city for public worship and the subsequent immersion into the Cauvery. Heavy police forces were deputed across the city to prevent any untoward incidents. While in some sensitive spots like Bheema Nagar, Palakkarai and Woraiyur, the security was tightened and the entire procession was guarded by the team of police.

Special platforms for dropping the idols were established at the Cauvery bridge. Meanwhile, in Tirumayam in Pudukkottai, BJP leader H Raja exchanged a heated argument with the police when they attempted to proceed the rally through the residences of a particular community in Meiyyapuram.

Despite the denial of permission by the police, the rally was held and the idol was immersed at a lake in the village.