Thatchanallur police have arrested eight persons, including Hindu Makkal Katchi’s Tirunelveli district president, for damaging 86 tombs in the cemetery of Udaiyaarpatti Sacred Heart Church at Manimurtheeswaran near here on Saturday night.
Based on a complaint from Rev. Fr. Joseph Michael Selvaraj, parish priest of the church, police arrested S. Udaiyaar, 53, Tirunelveli district president of Hindu Makkal Katchi, and seven others.
Subsequently, they registered case under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 297 (trespassing on burial places), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 294 B (sings, recites or utters any obscene songs or words in public places), 353 A (assaults or uses criminal force to deter public servant) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code against Udaiyaar, K. Muruganantham, 48, of Veeravanallur, T. Sankar, 52, of Veeravanallur, R. Sabari Rajan alias Ayyappan, 50, of Murappanaadu, A. Sermadurai, 43, of Tirunelveli Town, A. Kandan, 38, of Kurukkuthurai near Tirunelveli Junction, Radhakrishnan, 58, of Vannarpet, S. Subramani alias Soda Mani, 49, of Veeravanallur.
They were sent for remand on Monday.
