A life-size statue of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy was damaged after a container lorry rammed into it, on Kamaraj Salai, in Villupuram town on Wednesday at midnight. Ruling out the incident as an act of miscreants, police said that it was an accident and the driver of the lorry had been detained.
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Police said the statue was installed about 40 years ago at the intersection of Kamaraj Salai in the town. The container lorry, carrying tyres from a factory in Nettapakkam in Puducherry ,was going to Pune. The incident occurred when the lorry driver Mahendra Sable was reversing the vehicle, and in the process, rammed into the statue. Under the impact of the collision, the statue and the pedestal toppled.
As the news spread, members of the ruling DMK picketed the Villupuram town police station and blocked traffic on the Four Roads junction urging the police to take stern action against the lorry driver. The members engaged in heated exchanges with police personnel after Revenue officials attempted to remove the damaged statue.
Senior police personnel pacified them following which they withdrew their protest. The lorry driver was arrested. A case has been registered.
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