At least five buses were damaged in stone pelting in Karur on Thursday during protests spearheaded by the residents of Puliyur and Kongu Vellalar community outfits, demanding action against Tamil writer Puliyur Murugesan for making derogatory references against the community in a novel.
The police resorted to use of mild force to disperse an angry mob in the town. Problem began when a group of agitators barged into the house of Melai Palaniappan at Srinivasapuram, an office-bearer of Thirukkural Peravai, for giving an interview in support of the writer to the media. They said that he should not have offered support to Murugesan when the entire community was hurt by the “offensive language” used in the novel.
On information, the police rushed to the spot and asked the protestors to disperse. Eventually, the police had to use force to disperse the agitators.
Aggrieved over the police action, some of the protesters pelted stones on buses at three places damaging windscreens of the vehicles.
Earlier, a group of persons, after taking part in a meeting held to chart out a plan of action over the issue, took out a rally to the Collectorate and handed over a memorandum to Collector S. Jayandhi, seeking action against Mr.Murugesan.
Some of them also blocked the road near the Collectorate. Superintendent of Police Joshi Nirmal Kumar held talks with the agitators and promised suitable action against the writer as per the law.
Meanwhile, Mr.Murugesan, who was recuperating at the Government Hospital in Karur after being attacked by a group of people on Wednesday, said that he would never give up writing and continue to highlight the social evils to create a better society.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said he did not want to hurt anyone or any community in his novel. He devoted a small part of his novel (‘Balachandran Enra Peyarum Enakkundu’) to highlight the sufferings and discrimination faced by eunuchs. The characters were not meant to hurt any particular family or community.
Mr. Murugesan, who has been given police protection, said that he never expected that his story would stir a controversy. He was ready to tender an apology if anyone felt hurt over his writing and wanted to end the issue.
Protests against Puliyur Murugesan turn violent in Karur
