Two persons were killed in a police firing in Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district in caste-sensitive South Tamil Nadu while several others including senior police officials were injured in stone pelting incidents that lead to the firing on Sunday afternoon.
One more person is feared to be killed in the incident. In Madurai too police opened firing so as to disperse a crowd of the protestors demanding the release of John Pandian, founder of Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, who was detained on the way to Paramakudi to participate in the 54th memorial day observation of Immanuel Sekaran, a Dalit leader.
The detantion of John Pandian sparked an immediate agitation by Dalits who thronged Paramakudi for the memorial and turned violent later on. The dalits, who staged a protest soon started pelting stones on the police injuring Ramanathapuram DIG Sandeep Mittal and the deputy commissioner of police K A Senthivelen prompting the police to open fire. Two men among the agitators died on the spot.
As the news of the firing and deaths spread more dalits started converging on the spot. Police had cordoned off the entire district and stopped vehicles at the entry points of the district to prevent growth of violence. About 5000 such vehicles that brought the Dalits from across the state are lined up outside the district.
Police said that many police vehicles were damaged and set on fire by the mob. A police official said that they are not even able to go near the memorial, the epicentre of the violence incidents now. The firing occurred around 1 pm at a distance of about one km from the memorial of Immanuel Sekaran. Police said that the bodies of the victims are now with the agitators adding that no women were injured in the firing.
In Madurai, two police officers were injured in a police firing at Chintamani area. The firings have sparked tension in the entire South Tamil Nadu region and a body of police personnel have been posted at the sensitive spots.
News Reported by AR for Newsvision
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