The police on Sunday arrested DMK’s Thiruporur legislator L. Idhayavarman and 11 others in connection with a firing incident that took place during a clash between his group and that of a real estate businessman over a land dispute on Saturday.
Three FIRs were registered in connection with the incident.
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The MLA’s father was injured in the clash, and is undergoing treatment in hospital. Mr. Idhayavarman has been remanded in judicial custody till July 24.
A pistol used by the MLA to fire at the rival gang and a single-barrel breech-loading gun have been seized.
The police found that the licences for the weapons had expired.
Two live rounds were also recovered.
Tension gripped Sengadu in Thiruporur on Saturday in the wake of the clash between Mr. Idhayavarman’s group and that of Imayam Kumar, the real estate businessman. The police said the two had been locked in a land dispute for several years.
Mr. Kumar and a few of his aides had visited the disputed plot on Saturday and found that the pathway had been dug up.
“He lodged a complaint with the Thiruporur police,” a police officer said.
When Mr. Kumar visited Sengadu again, he encountered Mr. Idhayavarman, his father Lakshmipathy and a few villagers. A clash ensued.
Pedestrian injured
A senior police officer said that in the melee, the MLA allegedly fired two rounds at the rival group, injuring a pedestrian identified as Srinivasan. “Members of both the groups were injured, and were admitted to hospital,” the officer said.
“Mr. Srinivasan was discharged. But when the police went to his house to conduct an inquiry, he was not there. We suspect that someone involved in the case may be trying to influence him to withdraw the complaint,” a police officer said.
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