Uneasy calm prevails at Theni village

THENI

With the arrest of 19 persons and deployment of additional police force after the violence and arson that shook Bomminaickanpatti in Periyakulam block on Saturday, an uneasy calm prevailed at the village on Sunday.

The police intensified search throughout Saturday night and arrested 11 persons from Muslim community and nine persons from a Dalit community. More than 500 police personnel had been deployed at the village for 48 hours.

Police personnel in Bodi, Cumbum, Andipatti, Chinnamanur and Periyakulam, who earlier worked within Jayamangalam police station limits, were deployed at the village for intense surveillance. They were posted at vantage points and at the four entry points of the village. An inspector was also deployed at each entry point.

No outsiders were allowed to enter the village. Already, many persons, who were involved in the violence, fled from the village.

More than 30 persons were injured and household items in 50 houses were destroyed in the clash between the two groups at the village on Saturday. An unruly mob torched two shops, a car, an autorikshaw and two two-wheelers. Another gang reportedly felled 200 banana plants in a farm owned by one Mohammad.

Desecration of a banner erected by the VCK cadre and protest over carrying the body of a Dalit woman through the Muslim-dominated area triggered enmity between the groups, sources said.