Tirupur: A tense situation prevailed in the city on Monday for more than two hours,
after a man climbed on a mobile phone tower, urging the government to notify Piramalai Kallar community as de-notified tribes instead of denotified community.
S Vallikannu of Little Flower Nagar in Chinnandipalayam, who was working as a labourer at a knitwear unit, had climbed on the 150ft tall BSNL tower at Kozhipannai on Mangalam Road around 10am. The 42-year-old man is also the district president of De-notified Tribe Welfare Association, police sources said. He refused to come down until his demands are met. His accomplice S Isakki Thevar, who was standing below the tower, was negotiating with police.
A team from the Tirupur Central Police asked the duo to forward their demands to the district administration. Police arrested Vallikannu after he climbed down from the tower and also arrested Isakki Thevar. They were let off on bail later.
