Petrol bombs were hurled at the residences of two supporters of dissident AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran here on Saturday.
The police suspect that the attack could be a sequel to the recent showdown between supporters of Information Technology Minister M. Manikandan and those of Mr. Dhinakaran over the Minister’s “ dhoti stripping” remark. Mr. Manikandan had warned Mr. Dhinakaran’s supporters not to wear dhotis draped in the colours of the party flag, and threatened to strip them if they did. Following this, the loyalists of Mr. Dhinakaran took out a march to the Minister’s house, daring him to carry out the threat.
According to the police, a few minutes past midnight, bike-borne miscreants hurled petrol bombs at the houses of B. Kamal, 36, and G. Thava Muniasamy, 50 — both office-bearers of the Dhinakaran-led faction of the AIADMK — at Kotha Street under the Bazar police station limits in the town. No one was injured and no property was damaged in the incident, the police said.
Mr. Kamal is the union youth wing secretary of the Dhinakaran camp and Mr. Muniasamy, the district literary wing secretary. Their houses were located on the same street. CCTV footage showed one of the miscreants lighting the wick of a bottle filled with petrol and hurling it. It also showed two persons arriving at the scene on a two-wheeler and being joined by two others.
Miscreants identified
Two of the miscreants were identified as Aathil Ameen, the party’s 19th ward secretary, and Balasubramanian, also of the AIADMK. They fled the scene before making a phone call to someone and giving that person an update on the attack, the police said.
The Bazar police registered a case under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives and Substances Act. After the incident, supporters of Mr. Dhinakaran ‘stormed’ the Bazar police station, demanding the arrest of the culprits, including Shanmugapandian, an aide to the Minister. Police pickets were posted at Kotha Street and at the Minister’s house.
Reacting to the incident, Mr. Manikandan denied the involvement of his men in the attack.
The police detained two persons in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dhinakaran accused Tourism Minister Vellamandi N. Natarajan of being behind the attack.
