On vigil: A strong posse of police stand guard near the Periyar statue on Anna Salai opposite Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in the city on Tuesday night. | Photo Credit: R_RAVINDRAN

VELLORE

07 March 2018 14:47 IST

The two men, who vandalised the statue of social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy in Tirupattur on Tuesday evening, have been booked for promoting enmity through their act and damaging public property. Though it was said that they hurled stones at the statue, police on Wednesday confirmed that they climbed up the statue and damaged it using a hammer.

R. Muthuraman (42) of Anna Nagar in Tirupattur, and his nephew, Francis alias Silambarasan (28) of Maruthuvar Nagar in Tirupattur have been arrested for vandalising the statue of Periyar near the Tirupattur Taluk office.

While Muthuraman was Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tirupattur town secretary, Francis was affiliated to the Communist Party of India (CPI), police said. A police officer said that the duo was not drunk at the time of offence. They used a hammer to damage the statue.

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M. Elangovan, Tirupattur district deputy secretary of Dravidar Kazhagam, who lodged the complaint against the duo, said, “People, on seeing them damage the statue, called me at about 8.45 p.m. By the time we reached there, the two had left the spot in a two-wheeler. A few persons had tried to catch them. But after about 10 minutes, one of the eyewitnesses spotted them near a tea shop in front of the statue and identified them. We took them to the Tirupattur Town police station.”

He said the bust-size statue of Periyar is about four to five feet high and is placed on a pedestal. “Eyewitnesses told us that Francis climbed up the pedestal and damaged the statue using a hammer, while Muthuraman was standing by his two-wheeler. The spectacles and nose of the statue, and the plaque was damaged,” he said.

“The statue was erected by ‘Karuppu Sattai’ Ma.Si. Balan of Dravidar Kazhagam. It was unveiled by former Prime Minister V.P. Singh in 1992. Mr. Balan had constructed a marriage hall near the Tirupattur bus stand and invited Mr. Singh for inaugurating it,” he added.

According to the FIR, the men have been booked including for threatening the complainant, who questioned their act.

A case has been registered under section 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds or religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 506 (2) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code. They were also booked under section 4 (mischief causing damage to public property by fire or explosive substance) of Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.

Meanwhile, a CPI member in Vellore, said Francis was enrolled as a “candidate member” of the party. “He was expelled from the party two years ago due to certain activities that were against the party and the ideology,” he said.

Protection

S. Ulaganathan, inspector of Tirupattur Taluk station and in-charge of Tirupattur Town, said following this incident, they have provided round-the-clock protection for statues of Periyar in the town. There were two statues of Periyar in the town limit, he said.