Pudukkottai: Tension prevailed for a while at Arantangi in Pudukkottai district on Monday, following some unidentified miscreants damaging a portion of late rationalist leader Periyar’s statue near Government hospital in the town.
The statue now appears headless as a part of its head has been chopped off by the miscreants, police said. Some passersby noticed the incident and also alerted the DMK and DK functionaries, prompting them to stage an agitation.
The Alangudi DMK MLA Meyyanathan and volunteers of the MDMK and DK assembled near the statue, raised slogans and also resorted to road roko under the leadership of DK’s zonal president Rajan, demanding immediate arrest of the miscreants.
However, on assurance of Pudukkottai SP, Selvaraj the agitators gave up their stir. Later, Mr. Meyyanathan, speaking to newsmen, alleged that the incident might have occurred at the instigation of BJP’s national secretary and Sivaganga Lok Sabha candidate H. Raja, who very often remarked that the removal of Periyar statues.
He said if the police did not arrest the miscreants immediately, the Dravidian parties will come out with a bigger stir.
Elaborate police security has been provided near the venue of the statue following this incident.
