As tension eases, police presence in TN's Mettupalayam reduced

COIMBATORE: The number of policemen deployed for security in Mettupalayam is being gradually reduced as the communal tension in the town eased on Tuesday. 

Tempers have been running high in the town since the BJP conducted a demonstration there on Sunday evening to condemn the SDPI for allegedly defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a protest in the town on January 26 in support of the farmers’ protest. 

BJP state executive committee member Kalyanaraman, addressing the gathering, made an allegedly inflammatory speech, resulting in a clash between BJP and SDPI members. 

Around 900 police personnel from Coimbatore and its neighbouring districts were deployed in the town. As the situation was brought under control on Monday, the bandobust has been reduced by half.

The senior police officials from neighbouring districts, who have been camping at Mettupalayam for the last two days, have left and deployment of personnel from Nilgiris, Tirupur and Erode districts has also been reduced, said a senior police official. 

As of Tuesday, 600 police personnel are engaged in surveillance duty over two shifts at Mettupalayam town. While tension had mostly eased by Sunday night, visible-policing is still needed and will continue until the situation returns to normal in a couple of days, the official said. Further, police were ordered to strengthen intelligence to prevent further such incidents, the official added. 

Police have also held talks with religious and political organisations urging them to avoid such incidents in future. “Leaders from such organisations have met us and assured us that such events will not recur,” the official said. 

So far, six cases have been registered by Coimbatore district police in connection with the communal tension and arrests were made in three cases, according to the police sources.   

Meanwhile, Coimbatore District United Jama-ath and Confederation of Islamic Organisations and parties staged a demonstration at Ukkadam on Tuesday condemning the Mettupalayam incident. They urged police to invoke either the NSA or UAPA against Kalyanaraman, who was arrested on charges of hate speech.