Pudukkottai: Tension prevailed for almost the entire day on Friday, spilling over from last night, as people of a certain community allegedly took to vandalism at Ponnamaravathi near here in protest against derogatory remarks made against their community and their women in a Facebook post by some mischief mongers.
A large gathering of agitators laid siege to the Ponnamaravathi police station demanding immediate arrest of the miscreants who made such denigrated remarks against them.
Meanwhile, another group resorted to a road roko and prevented the entry of buses, asked shop owners to pull down shutters and went around intimidating people.
On information, a police party led by SP, Mr Selvaraj persuaded the agitators to leave with an assurance that the culprits will be booked within 24 hours and restored normalcy. This was the situation late on Thursday night after the polling to the Lok Sabha elections were over.
However, on Friday morning the same group of agitators with more strength brought from more than 30 villages in and around Ponamaravathi compelled the shop owners to shut shops and made roadblocks by placing stones and felled trees across the road and obstructed vehicle movement. Following this, bus services to the villages in and around Ponnamaravathi were totally cut off.
The agitators also pelted stones at the Ponnamaravathi police station in which at least ten persons including three police personnel were injured.
Further, over ten vehicles including four police vehicles were damaged.
Police with the help of paramilitary forces who came for poll duty cleared the road obstructions and restored normal road traffic.
Pudukkottai collector Mrs. Uma Maheswari and other top police officials including DIG of police Tiruchy, Mrs. Lalitha Lakshmi are camping in the troubled area and took stock of the situation.
A top police official told DC that the situation is now under control; to avoid fresh trouble, elaborate police bandobast and intensive police patrolling have been made in and around Ponamaravathi.
Later this evening, Police promulgated a prohibitory order under section 144 of the CrPc in Ponamaravathi and 30 surrounding villages.
