: Puliyur Murugesan (45), an upcoming Tamil writer belonging to Puliyur near here, was allegedly assaulted by a group of persons on Wednesday.
Sources said Murugesan was taken to a place near the Kaliyamman temple in the village and roughed up by a few residents aggrieved over the portrayal of a few families of the village in poor light in a novel written by him.
Mr. Murugesan has recently released the novel titled “ Balachandran Enra Peyarum Enakkundu ” at a function held in Karur recently.
Residents of the village claimed that Murugesan had made several derogatory references against them in the novel. They also objected to the portrayal of the Kongu Vellalar community, which was dominant in the village.
As many of the residents began assembling at the spot, an advocate rescued Murugesan from them and took him to the Pasupathipalayam police, seeking security.
Meanwhile, a group of residents, mostly belonging to Kongu Vellalar community, staged a blockade on the Karur-Tiruchi road demanding action against Murugesan for making offensive references. They also urged the State government to ban the controversial book. On information, the police rushed to spot and held negotiation with them, following which the agitation was withdrawn.
A senior police official told The Hindu that Murugesan was safe and the issue was being probed.
