Police arrest one in Kallakurichi bus burning case

CHENNAI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Tamil Nadu Police has arrested a person, Manikandan of Poosapadi in Salem district, for burning a police bus during the Kallakurichi violence on July 17.

Police in a statement said the arrest was made on Monday night after analyzing the video clippings of the Kallakurichi violence. Manikandan was produced before the judicial magistrate court on Tuesday and remanded to judicial custody for 15 days.

SIT sources told IANS that the CCTV footage of the Salem- Chennai national highway was being analysed for getting details and to identify rioters of the July 17 violence. The mobile phone numbers of the rioters were also being analysed by using the cellphone networks in the vicinity.

It may be noted that 309 people have already been arrested in the case related to the violent incidents on July 17. More than 30 school buses, one police bus, several two-wheelers, and two tractors were burnt during the riots. The school was totally destroyed and the losses are pegged at around Rs 10 crore.

Police intelligence has given inputs to Kallakurichi and Villupuram district police on the possibility of caste clashes as a fallout of the Kallakurichi incident.