After a group clash at the end of a temple festival, villagers of Seiyamangalam in Kamudhi tuluk assaulted an Inspector of Police and held him captive for nearly four hours, depriving him medical treatment as police registered cases against 52 people, including 16 women.
Police said a group of villagers led by D. Varadarajan attacked L. Balamurugan, Inspector of Police, attached to the Abiramam Police Station, when he tried to disperse two clashing groups in the village at the end of three-day temple festival on Friday night around 10. 30 p.m.
Cut injury
The police officer suffered a cut injury on the back of his head and was bleeding but the villagers held him captive till the early hours of Saturday, when two Deputy Superintendents of Police with the help of a company of Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion rescued and admitted him to the hospital.
Women formed a human wall in front of his jeep and held him back in the village till 2 a.m. on Saturday, when the DSPs intervened and secured his release, police said. After receiving treatment at the Government Hospital in Kamudhi, the Inspector was referred to Madurai for further treatment on Saturday, police added.
Police said trouble broke out after the ‘Aadalum Padalum’ entertainment programme at 10 p.m., when two groups led by D. Varadarajan and N. Machakalai of the same community clashed. The Inspector of Police, who had left the village after the festival with his men, returned on being informed about the clash.
As he chased away the clashing groups, one Arunachalam (27) belonging to Varadarajan’s group fell down and suffered injuries.
As word spread that the Inspector had assaulted the man, villagers surrounded and attacked him, police said. Dr. S. Sankar, Assistant Surgeon, who treated the police officer in Kamudhi said the cut was covered with three sutures.
On Saturday, the village wore a deserted look as all the men and women fled fearing police action.
Police have registered cases against Varadarajan and 35 known men and 16 known women and others under as many as nine sections of Indian Penal Code, including 307 (attempt to murder).
A posse of police was posted outside the village and special teams were formed to nab those involved in the case, police added.
