Miscreants set bus ablaze, trigger panic

A government bus was set on fire in Thoothukudi on Friday, triggering panic at a time when the port town was limping back to normalcy.

The incident occurred at Karungulam under the Seythunganallur police station limits in the district. Sudalaikannu, 70, and Valliammal, 65, of Meignanapuram and Jebakumar, 25, of Karaikudi sustained burns in the attack, the police said. They were rushed to the Primary Health Centre in Karungulam.

Police sources said three unidentified, bike-borne youth intercepted the bus near the Karungulam Bridge and threatened the driver, Ramesh, to get down from the vehicle.

As the miscreants boarded the bus with a plastic container filled with petrol, the passengers sensed the impending danger and fled. The youth then doused the vehicle with fuel and set it ablaze.

Barring this incident, normalcy was gradually being restored in the riot-hit town.

Low patronage

While most big business establishments remained closed on Friday, sweet shops, fruit stalls and bakeries were open for business, as were a good number of roadside tea shops and pharmacies.

Though buses were being operated to Tirunelveli and Madurai with police protection after a gap of three days, the patronage was very low, with residents still fearful of outbreaks of violence.