The 109th birth anniversary and the 54th guru puja of Muthuramalinga Thevar passed off peacefully here on Sunday owing to elaborate security arrangements made by Madurai city and rural police.
A large number of people, including a good number of women and teenagers, started arriving at Muthuramalinga Thevar’s statue in Goripalayam since morning to pay their respects to the leader. A majority of the women carried milk pots and ‘mulaipari’ (sprouts) and waited in long queues which reached as far as Meenakshi Government Arts College for Women around noon.
Youngsters affiliated to various Thevar community outfits wore uniformly coloured T-shirts and headbands for the celebration. Leaders from various political parties, including the AIADMK, DMK, MDMK, BJP, All India Forward Bloc and the Naam Tamilar Katchi, garlanded the statue.
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Despite a ban on travelling on top of vehicles and taking out motorcycle processions, there were a few violations near the statue. Some groups cared little for the warnings issued by the police about stringent action and denial of vehicle passes for next year’s Thevar Jayanthi celebrations. While allowing vehicles towards the statue, the police made note of their registration numbers and the names of the outfits. The traffic in Goripalayam junction was not stopped for the function. However, vehicle movement slowed down at times during the day as the crowd coming to pay homage to the statue swelled.
Commissioner of Police Shailesh Kumar Yadav and other senior officials were present at the junction throughout the day to ensure effective crowd control and maintain peace.