Tension broke out at Pappakudi village in Ramanathapuram district on Sunday night when a 40-member gang from neighbouring Kavarankulam village attacked houses and set fire to two-wheelers and a thatched shed.
After a scuffle between youth from the two villages on May 18 when the youth of Pappakudi objected to those from Kavarankulam visiting their area, the local police registered cases against the two groups and deployed picketing to prevent escalation of violence.
As police kept vigil in the villages, a group of about 40 people from Kavarankulam ‘sneaked’ into Pappankudi around 8.30 p.m. on Sunday and attacked the tiled roof houses, injuring four persons, and set fire to a couple of two-wheelers before fleeing.
Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena rushed to the spot and restored order.
In a pre-dawn operation on Monday, police teams, headed by the Additional Superintendent of Police, two DSPs and Inspectors of Police, launched a drive and detained at least 12 accused, who were hiding in the ‘karuvelam’ forest area, about three km away from the village.
When the police launched the drive at Kavarankulam, they could not find any male member in the village. At the break of dawn, the police teams saw movement of people in the forest area and found some of the accused hiding there. Most of the other accused went absconding, the police said.
There had been simmering differences between people of these villages for the past five years after at least four or five love marriages, involving boys and girls of the two villages, the SP said, adding it appeared to be an ego clash and they attacked each other to wreak revenge.
In the absence of strong police action, they had been indulging in such attacks, the SP said and warned that the police would take stern action this time. “We have registered three separate FIRs and will arrest all the accused,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents of Pappankudi, who came to the government headquarters hospital to visit the injured, staged a road roko, demanding the arrest of those who damaged the houses and set fire to two-wheelers.
