The first day of the enforcement of prohibitory order under Section 144 of the Criminal Code of Procedure was incident-free in Coimbatore.
Around 2,700 police personnel and senior police officers took control of the law and order situation in Coimbatore city and the rural limits.
They conducted vehicle checks in arterial and small roads alike to curb unwanted movement of vehicles and people.
However, vehicles transporting essential goods, ambulances, private vehicles transporting patients, vehicles of Government employees and vehicles plying for genuine purposes were permitted on Wednesday.
On the first day, Coimbatore city and rural did not register any case for the violation of the prohibitory order.
The police sent back persons who were found to have been roaming without genuine reason.
Sources with the police said that action will be taken against such persons and those found gathering in a group of more than four persons from Thursday.
Though there were gathering of people at places like fish and vegetable/fruit markets in the morning, they were mostly of retail vendors who came to purchase things for their shops.
While the presence of police was high in the morning, it reduced by noon as the movement of people and vehicles were less. The deployment came was full again in the evening.
However, the police wielded lathi at motorists, mostly two-wheeler riders, in Coimbatore city and rural limits on Wednesday evening.
The police were seen beating motorists with lathi without asking much about the purpose of their trip. Video of policemen wielding lathi at motorists at Singanallur junction was widely circulated in social media.
Another video of a policewoman asking two youngsters to squat in front of Thondamuthur police station was also widely shared in social media.
