SIVAGANGA
An eight-member gang barged into the office of the CPI (M) in Manamadurai in the district on Saturday night and attacked two party office-bearers after they allegedly reprimanded the gang members for ‘teasing’ girl students of two private schools in the vicinity.
Police said V. Andi and R. Muniaraj were at the office in Mettu Street around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, when the gang members, all in their 20s, barged into the office, carrying iron rods and logs, and attacked them. The gang members objected to the CPI (M) office- bearers questioning them for standing near the party office when the girls were walking to the schools, the police said.
The gang members attacked Mr. Muniaraj, and then attacked Mr. Andi when he came to the rescue of his colleague. After being administered first aid at Manamadurai Government Hospital, the injured were sent to Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital. The gang members also damaged the tile roof of the party office before fleeing, the police said.
Acting on a complaint lodged by Mr. Andi, Manamadurai police registered a case and arrested all the eight persons on Sunday. The arrested were T. Vasanth Saran, M. Prasad, B. Sankar, K. Thirumoorthy, M. Anbazhagan, D. Kesavakumar, S. Mithilan Nithan and K. Richard Joseph.
They were booked under Sections 147, 148, 294 (b), 448, 323, 324, 379 and 506 (ii) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
CPI (M) district secretary Veerapandi and former secretary M. Kandasamy, who visited the injured at the hospital, demanded stern action against the accused. They appealed to Superintendent of Police T. Jayachandran to post regular police beat near the schools and take stern action against those who teased girl students.
