The police opened fire in the air to quell a mob, which pelted a police party with stones as violence broke out in Thangachimadam near Rameswaram on Sunday.
Trouble arose when a section of Christians waylaid boys of another Christian group from the same locality. They were on their way to play cricket after Easter celebrations. After a wordy duel, they assaulted the boys. The police arrested couple of people in this connection.
Protesting against this, their supporters staged a road roko agitation.
When police asked them to disperse, they hurled stones at them. Two policemen were injured. The protesters also damaged the windscreens of a police vehicle.
To quell the violence, the police opened two rounds of fire in the air on the orders of Deputy Superintendent of Police A. Manaivannan.
N.M. Mylvahanan, the Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu that the situation was now normal. “The police are on bandobust duty in troubled areas and the patrolling has been intensified.” he said.
The police have so far secured five people and launched a search and combing operation, he added.
