Tension prevailed in the coastal hamlet of Kooththenkuzhi under Kudankulam police station limits in the district after over 60 country bombs were hurled indiscriminately for about an hour on Tuesday morning, renewing decades-old rivalry between two groups of this village.
Four houses on the north street of Kooththenkuzhi were damaged and three youths – Jones, Dilip Kumar and Stephen, who were injured in the attack, have been admitted to a private hospital in Nagercoil. Though police personnel have been deployed in the village, panic continues among residents.
Police have arrested 18 persons and recovered four unexploded bombs.
When a bride and the groom were taken in decorated cars via Kooththenkuzhi after Holy Mass in the church on Sunday, the reception accorded to the newly-wed led to heated arguments between the groups. Even as the groups geared up for a showdown, the police intervened and asked the representatives of both the groups to come to the police station for the talks on Sunday night.
While one of the warring groups, East Street residents, was prepared for reconciliation through negotiations and agreed to participate in the talks, the West Street residents rejected the invitation, saying that they would settle the scores with their rivals by other means, police said.
At 3.30 a.m. on Monday, a mysterious blast rocked the village. “When a group of youths, all from East Street, boarded a fibreglass boat and tried to escape from the attack, one of the bombs landed on the boat damaging it. Even before they could run for safety, four of them were injured and taken to hospital in Nagercoil,” said a resident.
When the police, who had been positioned on the village outskirts, entered the hamlet on hearing the explosions, they were also targeted. One of the bombs landed on a police vehicle and damaged it. However, none was injured.
Superintendent of Police V. Vikraman and DSP, Valliyoor, Balaji entered the village and nabbed 18 persons allegedly involved in the attack.
3 injured, 18 arrested near Kudankulam
