Kallakurichi, Apr 2 (UNI) Tension prevailed at Madhavacheri near Kallakurichi when miscreants set fire to a statue of Dravidian stalwart and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai in the early hours of today.
Police sources said miscreants had set fire to the cloth with which
the statue was covered as the Model Code of Conduct for the April
six Assembly elections is in force.
Miscreants had set fire to the cloth on the statue at around 0300 hrs
following which a portion of the statue was partially burnt.
Acting on information, police officials rushed to the spot, cleaned the
statue and covered it with a new cloth.
Police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent any
untoward incident.
Police sources said the CCTV footage of shops and business
establishments in and around the area are being examined to
identify the culprits.
Meanwhile, DMK President M K Stalin and MDMK General Secretary
Vaiko strongly condemned the incident of setting fire to the statue of
Anna, who christened the name Tamil Nadu to the State.
In a tweet, he said people will identify the forces that was trying to
incite violence in the peaceful Tamil Nadu state and punish them
with the weapon of democracy.
Stating that only, the statues of Periyar and Anna, even the statue of
AIADMK Founder MGR was also desecrated, Mr Stalin said it was
shameful that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was taking
a dig at the opposition instead of curbing such incidents.
Mr Vaiko, in a statement, alleged that saffron forces were behind the
incident and demanded the arrest of these forces.
He claimed that due to instigation by Sanadhan forces statues of
leaders like Periyar and Anna were being vandalised and the people
will teach them a lesson to these forces in the Assembly polls.
UNI GSM-GV 1325