Agitators damage doors, glass panels of security chamber

A protest against controversial American film Innocence of Muslims turned violent on Friday, when the U.S. Consulate-General on Anna Salai in Chennai was attacked by hundreds of protesters, who breached police security cordon with ease.

A crowd of 1,500 people from the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam and a few other Muslim outfits targeted the mission. They pelted it with stones, burnt the American flag and pictures of President Barack Obama and damaged CCTV cameras, a police booth and instruction boards for visitors.

In a pre-announced agitation around 4.30 p.m., a large group, raising anti-U.S. slogans, marched from outside New College in Royapettah towards the Consulate. Consulate security personnel shut the doors to bar their entry. Iron railings and paintings on the building’s compound wall were ruined.

A small group tried to scale the consulate’s wall on Cathedral Road and damaged the doors and glass panels of the security chamber.

A large posse of police, led by Additional Commissioner of Police, L & O (in-charge) Sanjay Arora, reached the spot and cleared the agitators at 5.30 p.m.