Police personnel used mild lathicharge to chase away unruly crowd at Goripalayam and Nelpettai when some groups allegedly indulged in stone pelting during Thevar jayanthi celebrations here on Friday.
Police said that uneasy calm prevailed in the evening when some volunteers belonging to the Thevar outfits allegedly pelted stones at two State Transport Corporation buses in K. Pudur and Chinthamani areas. At Nelpettai, some people stoned some shops which had downed their shutters.
Irked at the incident, shopkeepers in the locality, demanded action against those who pelted stones. A large posse of policemen led by Deputy Commissioner of Police P.C. Thenmozhi ensured that there were no further untoward incidents, police said.
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At around 5 p.m., uneasy calm prevailed near the Thevar statue when some youths drove their two-wheelers in a reckless manner. An autorickshaw toppled off East Veli Street, police said.
Public meetings organised by different factions of All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) were held at Goripalayam, Sellur 60-feet Road, Jhansi Rani Park and D.M. court junction.
Processions were taken out by several outfits, with women carrying pots of sprouted grains (mulaipari), to mark the occasion. Several educational institutions had either declared a holiday or asked the children to leave early in view of traffic diversions at several places.
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Vehicular movement in the city was diverted since morning at several places. Commissioner of Police K. Nandabalan and other officers inspected the bandobust arrangements.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers M.K. Alagiri garlanded the Muthuramalinga Thevar statue at Goipalayam, accompanied by party functionaries, including Ministers I. Periasamy, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Thangam Thennarasu and A. Tamilarasi, Mayor Thenmozhi, Deputy Mayor P.M. Mannan, MLA P. Moorthy and former Minister Pon. Muthuramalingam. They also garlanded the Marudhu brothers’ statue at Teppakulam.