Tension prevailed in Chinnaudaippu near Madurai Airport after a three-member motorbike-borne gang abused and assaulted three Dalits with a knife on Sunday evening.
Over 100 villagers from Chinnaudaippu, mostly Dalits, blocked the Madurai-Thoothukudi Inner Ring Road from 5 p.m. till 8.50 p.m. seeking the arrest of the culprits. The villagers alleged that the three persons who came on a high-speed motorbike pelted stones on three Dalits taking rest along the road and also assaulted them with knives.
The police identified the injured as Arumugam (35), Krishnan (60) and Shanmugam (35). The injured were admitted to Government Rajaji hospital.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) and (Law and Order - in-charge), N. Manivannan, who held talks with the agitators, promised to bring the culprits to book. Mr. Manivannan said contradictory statements were being made by the villagers. Some said the assailants remained silent and assaulted the trio and later another North Indian youth before fleeing from the scene.
Another claim was that the culprits abused the victims by making derogatory remarks against a particular community. “We have assured them that a case under the provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be booked. The city police have promised to put up CCTV cameras in the village,” Mr. Manivannan said. Ttraffic on the Ring Road was diverted during the protest.