Protests in the wake of the arrest and imprisonment of PMK and Vanniyar Sangam founder-leader S Ramadoss continued to keep parts of Tamil Nadu tense for the second day on Thursday. Though a local Villupuram court deferred the hearing on his bail plea by a day, angry cadre turned violent in northern parts of the state, their strongholds. They targeted government buses and premises and disrupted traffic on highways.

In Tiruvannamalai district, a container lorry with two-wheelers from Haryana was attacked with petrol bombs early in the day. The injured driver has been moved to government medical college hospital in Chennai. The plan to destroy a small bridge in Cuddalore, reportedly using gelatin-based explosives, failed as the explosives didn't work.

They set on fire two government-run liquor stores in Dharmapuri and attacked several houses and vehicles in neighbouring Vellore.

Ramadoss was arrested from Villupuram on Wednesday when he attempted to stage an agitation to protest what he alleged was partiality by the police in acting against those responsible for the clash between Vanniyars and Dalits at Marakkanam last week.

But unlike the usual practice of letting them off at the end of the day, Ramadoss was remanded to custody for 15 days. It seems there are more surprises in store for PMK. The police have moved for arrest warrants against Ramadoss and his close aides in connection with the violence during the annual community meeting and even dusted out a similar case filed last year.

Ramadoss's son and former Union minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, alleged that the old case is being taken up to ensure that Ramadoss remained in prison even if he gets bail in the present case.

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