About 100 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence unleashed by a mob which blocked the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway and pelted policemen with stones injuring 38 of them here on Saturday night.
The arrests were made on Sunday after a group of agitators torched two police vehicles and a Tasmac outlet. The group caused damage to a private hospital, a lodge and seven buses; seized a van near the Ambur taluk police station, four motorcycles and 12 push carts.
According to police, the agitators, mostly members of Thowheed Jamath and Thamizhaga Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, blocked the stretch between OAR Theatre and the railway station demanding the arrest of Martin Premraj, Inspector of Police, Pallikonda Police Station, in connection with the death of Shameel Ahmed (26) of Ambur.
He had died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, where he was admitted for treatment of injuries sustained allegedly during inquiry by the Pallikonda police .
Even before the body of Ahmed arrived in Ambur, a huge mob gathered in front of the police station on Saturday night and demanded the arrest of the Inspector.
Even as senior police officials were negotiating, the crowd started pelting the policemen with stones. Since the situation became uncontrollable, police resorted to lathi charge. The body of Ahmed was buried at 3 a.m. on Sunday amid tight security .
T.K. Rajendran, Additional Director General of Police, Law & Order, told reporters that the police would bring to book all those responsible for the violence.
A large number of women in the families of the arrested persons went to the office of the VAO here and represented that many minor boys in their families who were not in the scene of violence were picked up from their houses by the police. Police assured them that the boys would not be arrested.
