Twitter
Advertisement

Periyar statues vandalised in Chennai, Tirupur on his birth anniversary

Condemning the act, Fisheries Minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said that strong action will be taken against the miscreants as "an insult to Periyar is an insult to Tamils."

Latest News
article-main
The Periyar statue in Dharapuram, Tirupur district which was vandalised by unidentified persons
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Two statues of social reformer and Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar EV Ramasamy in Chennai and Tirupur were vandalised on Monday, on the occasion of his 139th birth anniversary.

A lawyer, identified as Jagadeesh of Ekkaduthangal, who is supposedly a member of the BJP, threw shoes at the statue of Periyar on the Anna Salai in Chennai when a group of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi cadres were garlanding it in the morning.

The VCK men nabbed him and handed him over to the police. The Chindathripet police registered a case and arrested him.

In the second incident, unidentified persons vandalised a Periyar statue at Dharapuram in Tirupur district. The miscreants chiselled off a portion of the statue's head and placed a pair of footwear atop it. Dravidar Kazhagam functionary K Shanmugam lodged a complaint with the Dharapuram police.

Condemning the act, Fisheries Minister and senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said that strong action will be taken against the miscreants as "an insult to Periyar is an insult to Tamils."

DMK president MK Stalin condemned the attack and sought the arrest of the person under the National Security Act. In a statement, Stalin said people who had thrown shoes and slippers at the statues should be punished. "Even when Periyar was alive, he had had such experiences but that did not stop him from continuing his protests," he said, recalling an incident of a slipper being hurled on Periyar when he visited Cuddalore."At the exact place where the slipper was thrown at Periyar, former DMK chief M Karunanidhi installed a Periyar statue and unveiled it in the presence of Periyar," Stalin recalled.

"Those who are involved in throwing slippers don't know the Dravidian history and what Periyar had done for the people of Tamil Nadu. In the recent past, such things are happening. But the state government doesn't mind them as it wants to continue in power. This is dangerous," said Stalin.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement