Communal tension prevails in TN village after desecration of Vinayagar idol

VILLUPURAM: A 19-year-old dalit youth sustained stab injuries in clashes between vanniyars and dalits over a Vinayagar idol procession at P Killanur village near Ulundurpet in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night.
Communal tension prevailed in Ulundurpet taluk after vanniyar community members from Perumbattu village damaged a Vinayakar idol kept near a Mariamman temple by dalits of P Killanur village.
The Thirunavalur police registered a case against 18 people – five dalits and 13 Vanniyars -- in connection with the riot and beefed up security to avert untoward incidents .
A senior police officer said dalit villagers of P Killanur conducted a procession, carrying a Vinayagar idol, from the village entrance to the Mariamman temple located on the way to Perumbattu village on Monday evening . Alleging that the dalit’s procession affected vehicular traffic between P Killanur and Perumbattu, Sakthivel, 20, a vanniyar youth from Perumbattu , who was heading to his village, entered into an arguments with the dalit youth.
Though the argument was averted from elevating further into a clash after the intervention of some elder dalit villagers , relatives of Sakthivel came to the Mariamman temple on Tuesday night and demanded that the dalit villagers apologise to Sakthivel for the previous day incident .
As the argument was going on, a vanniyar man decapitated the Vinayagar idol with a machete.
Dinesh, 19 , a dalit youth, who was watching the clashes, sustained stab injuries on his right abdomen. He was rushed to Ulundurpet GH for treatment.
As violence erupted , more than 50 striking force police personnel headed by Ulundurpet DSP K K Balachandar rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control by resorting a mildlathi charge . Villupuram SP S Jayakumar also visited the spot.