A lawyer claiming to belong to the BJP was arrested on Monday for allegedly hurling footwear at the statue of social reformer and Dravidar Kazhagam founder ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy at Anna Salai in Chennai. The accused, identified as D. Jagadeesan of Ekkattuthangal, was thrashed by cadre of political parties, including those belonging to the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), who had assembled on the spot to celebrate Periyar’s 140th birth anniversary, before being rescued by the police.
The BJP, however, clarified that Mr. Jagadeesan did not hold any official position in the party.
Elsewhere, in Tirupur district, a statue of the DK founder was found partially damaged by miscreants, who also placed footwear at the site on the Island Ground in Dharapuram.
In Chennai, around 10 a.m., the lawyer, who was passing by the Periyar statue on Anna Salai, stopped his bike and allegedly threw his footwear at the statue, angering the party cadre, who caught hold of Mr. Jagadeesan and roughed him up. The police rescued the lawyer and confined him in a police vehicle. The accused, however, continued to raise slogans against Periyar.
VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, who arrived at the scene later, squatted on the road with his party members and raised slogans seeking the immediate arrest of the accused.
A senior police officer said Mr. Jagadeesan was arrested by the Chintadripet police, who filed a criminal case against him under Sections 153-A (Promoting enmity between classes), 504 (Insult intended to provoke breach of the peace), 294 b (uttering vulgar words in public place) and 506-(i) (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. He was remanded in judicial custody by a metropolitan magistrate.
In Tirupur, followers of Periyar were shocked to find his statue desecrated when they visited the Island Ground to garland it. Members of the DK and the DMK staged a protest.
‘Insult to Tamils’
On the basis of a complaint lodged by K. Shanmugam, an office-bearer of the DK, the Dharapuram police registered a case.
Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that any insult to Periyar would be considered an insult to the entire Tamil community. “ Amma ’s (Jayalalithaa’s) government would not allow this. The government would take strong action against those involved,” he told journalists in Chennai.
