Highlight
- Police fired in the air at least twice to control the violent mob
- Stalin tweeted that he has instructed top officials to go to Kallakurichi.
- The protesters set the police bus on fire. A car was turned upside down and damaged by hammers
Tamil Nadu Violence: Mass protests erupted in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi on Sunday following the death of a schoolgirl, when protesters torched vehicles and pelted stones. The protesters demanded justice over the death of a class 12 student and police personnel to press for their demands.
The police fired in the air at least twice to control the violent mob.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin appealed to the people to maintain peace and assured them that the culprits would be punished. Stalin tweeted that he has directed top officials to go to Kallakurichi.
Police said the agitators pushed barricades put up by the police, stormed the premises of an ‘international’ school in nearby Chinnasalem and torched buses parked inside the premises of the institute.
Some people even set the police bus on fire. A car was damaged by overturning with hammers.
Several protesters managed to reach the terrace and vandalized the name board of the school and put up high banners demanding justice for the dead girl.
For a short while the best efforts of the police to disperse the demonstrators, in large numbers, proved futile.
Police personnel from adjoining districts have started reaching here as part of measures to deal with the situation.
A group of agitators freely participated and ransacked the school premises. Some of them snatched things like furniture and cupboards from the school, damaged them and set the road on fire.
The protesters, including volunteers of a youth organization, had gathered in large numbers after social media messages urging solidarity for justice.
When the agitators pelted stones at policemen and women, several uniformed personnel picked up such stones and threw them back at the crowd. Violence, which began as a ‘road blockade protest’ on Sunday, resulted in disruption of traffic on the Chennai-Salem highway.
A video of the violence has been shared by news agency ANI.
A 17-year-old girl, studying in Class 12 at a private residential school in Chinnasalem, about 15 km from here, was found dead in the hostel premises on July 13.
The girl, living in a room on the third floor of the hostel, is suspected to have ended her life by jumping from the top floor to the ground. A postmortem report reportedly indicated that he had suffered injuries before his death. Police have registered a case and investigation is on.
Shocked by his death, his parents, relatives and people of his village Periyanasalur, not far from Veppur in Cuddalore district, are continuously protesting demanding justice.
They staged a dharna here for the fourth consecutive day on July 16, accusing the ‘international’ school authorities and demanding action against them.
Their demands, which are backed by a political organization and the youth wing of a Left party, include a CB-CID probe and the arrest of those responsible for the girl’s death.
(with inputs from agencies)
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