Tirunelveli
Intra-party feud in AIADMK and DMK led to clashes on Sunday night, resulting in injuries to three persons and damage to a few vehicles here .
Consequently, the police raided the houses of the youth involved in the clash on Monday to search for lethal weapons and country bombs.
When a party workers’ meeting was organised by AIADMK here recently to review poll preparations and finalise the campaign schedule, youth from Kottaiyadi and Paraiyadi in Tirunelveli Town participated in large numbers. While the youth from Kottaiyadi were given party positions and ‘empowered’ to look after the election work in their area, the decision earned the wrath of those from Paraiyadi, who entered into a heated argument with their rivals on Sunday around 11 p.m.
As the argument led to a clash between the youth of Kottaiyadi and Paraiyadi, D. Gowtham, 20, S. Shankar, 22, and his younger brother Satish Kumar, 19, were hacked with sickles. With grievous cut injuries, they were rushed to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital where their condition is said to be “stable.”
Agitated over this, a group of Paraiyadi youth went to Kottaiyadi with arms, where they smashed three cars, two auto rickshaws and six bikes, all parked outside houses as residents, on seeing the angry mob, remained inside. Even before the police could rush to the spot, the armed gang managed to escape.
After registering a case against 40 persons in connection with the attack on the trio and subsequent violence, the police have picked up 10 persons .
Meanwhile, a police team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli, Satish Kumar, and Inspector of Police, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, Paulraj, raided the houses in Kottaiyadi and Paraiyadi around 11 a.m. on Monday. Metal detectors and sniffer dogs Pluto and Bharani were also used.
“Four machetes were seized during the drive. Though we suspected that country bombs could have been hidden in some of these houses, no improvised explosive was seized,” said a police officer.
In another clash, Subramanian of Palayamkottai, supporter of DMK Tirunelveli city district secretary Abdul Wahab, was allegedly attacked with an iron rod by four persons, allegedly due to intra-party feud . He has also been admitted to the TVMCH. “A complaint has been filed against Windsor, a DMK functionary and three of his associates,” a police officer said.