Violent reactions to the arrest of PMK leaders three days ago continued for the fourth day in many parts of the State. One person was killed when he was hit by a stone near Marakkanam in Villupuram district on Saturday night.
Police said Panneerselvam who worked in a quarry was returning to Marakkanam from Tindivanam in a lorry when unidentified persons hurled stones on the vehicle. The big stone broke the windshield and hit Pannerselvam. He fell unconscious and died soon after admission in a hospital.
Closure of shops, hoisting of black flags atop houses, attempt to blast a culvert and hurling of petrol bomb on a train injuring a passenger were reported in western Tamil Nadu.
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An attempt to blast a culvert allegedly by PMK cadre was foiled in Morappur. Police arrested M. Murugan (36) of Thippampatti village and G. Madhu (52) of Chellankottai near Naikkankottai.
Unidentified miscreants hurled a kerosene filled bottle on the Chennai-Nagercoil Weekly Express train when it passed the Bommidi railway station in Dharmapuri district. Though there was no fire, the broken pieces of the bottle injured engineer A. Suresh (27) of Omalur in Salem district. Preventive arrests continued in Krishnagiri district, said S.R. Senthil Kumar, Superintendent of Police here on Saturday.
Residents of three villages Chennappankottai, Samiarpuram and Neelagondahalli and Sogathur near Dharmapuri hoisted black flags atop their houses. Shops and business establishments were closed in Naikkankottai, Krishnapuram and Ariyakulam.
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MLA’s car attacked
At Cheyyur, unidentified persons threw a petrol bomb on the car of AIADMK MLA causing damage to the vehicle. The car of the AIADMK functionary was also attacked at Mathuranthagam in Kancheepuram district.
As many as 30 buses owned by State Transport Undertakings and five private buses were attacked with stones since Friday night. A bus was allegedly torched in Kancheepuram district. Around 200 persons, including former Union Minister A.K. Moorthy, were arrested in different parts of the State, police sources added.
In a bid to prevent attacks on vehicles, State-owned buses were operated in convoys on national and state highways with armed police escort. Companies of the Tamil Nadu Special Police were moved to affected areas, police said.
PMK supporters targeted IMFL outlets owned by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). Three incidents of petrol bombs being hurled at TASMAC outlets were reported in the last 24 hours, the sources said. At Keelkodungalur in Tiruvannamalai district and R.K. Pet in Tiruvallur district, two TASMAC outlets were partly damaged when unidentified persons hurled petrol bomb. In Ariyalur district, a state-owned liquor outlet was completely gutted in fire causing a loss of Rs. 3.65 lakh.
Meanwhile, the Magistrate of Thirukazhukundram court came to the Tiruchi Central Prison on Saturday and remanded Dr. Ramadoss in a case registered in Mamallapuram police station recently.
Dr. Ramadoss has also been remanded in a case booked by the Vilakuthoon police in Madurai pertaining to an attack on actor Rajinikanth’s fans by PMK leader’s security guards in Madurai in 2004.