The Perambalur Police have booked a case against more than 10 persons, including some members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, for allegedly assaulting a few BJP members and government officials, besides causing damage to government property at the office of the Deputy Director of Mines situated in the District Collectorate on October 30. An aide of the Minister for Transport S.S. Sivasankar was among the accused.
The incident led to the temporary suspension of the auction of 31 quarries in the district that was scheduled for Tuesday with the Perambalur district. The district administration had cited “administrative reasons” for the suspension. Monday was the last day for submission of bids for the auction.
The incident took place around 1 p.m. when the BJP’s Perambalur district vice president of the party’s industrial wing and Kavulpalayam panchayat president S. Kalaiselvan came to the office of the Deputy Director of Mines to submit a bid for the auction of stone quarries in the name of his brother Murugesan along with another party office bearer.
A group of people, owing allegiance to the DMK, reportedly prevented them from submitting the form and allegedly tore it. This led to a heated argument and scuffle between them.
In a fit of rage the group allegedly assaulted the BJP members and some government officials including few police personnel triggering tense moments inside the Collectorate. The group also allegedly damaged the government property inside the office of the Deputy Director of Mines which is situated on the first floor of the Collectorate.
Perambalur Collector K. Karpagam, who was presiding over the public grievances redressal meeting at that time at the Collectorate, rushed to the Deputy Director’s office and ordered those who had assembled there to leave the premises immediately. Seven government officials including the Palanisamy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Perambalur, and three other police personnel later undertook treatment at the Perambalur Government Headquarters Hospital as out-patients, the sources said.
The police registered registered a case based on a complaint preferred by Jayapal, Assistant Director, Department of Geology and Mining under IPC sections including 147 (rioting) 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons) 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) read with section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, said police sources.
Mahendran, an assistant of S.S.Sivasankar, Transport Minister, Sivasankar, a personal assistant to the DMK Perambalur MLA M. Prabhakaran and Ramesh, an office bearer of DMK IT Wing unit, were among the accused in the case.
Meanwhile speaking to reporters in Karur on Tuesday, the BJP state president K. Annamalai condemned the assault and claimed that the DMK men had overpowered the police and other officials and attacked his party functionary. Terming it as a shameful act, Mr. Annamalai said the entire incident occurred in front of the police, officials and public. He said there was evidence of those who attacked the BJP functionaries and demanded their arrest.
