Caste violence: Shoot
orders in TN district
RAMANATHAPURAM, Oct 5
(PTI, UNI) — Death toll in the violence and police
firing in Ramanathapuram district has gone up to nine,
with three more succumbing to injuries today, even as the
police claimed that the situation was returning to normal
with no untoward incident being reported.
While six persons were
killed in police firing on mobs on October 3 and 4, three
others died in the violence, triggered after a dispute
over a function related to "ayuthapooja’’
on Saturday, the police said.
Shoot-at-sight orders have
been issued in the violence-hit areas of the district and
prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr PC clamped
to check violence.
The Tamil Nadu Government
had requested for the services of the CRPF and the Rapid
Action Force to maintain law and order in the district.
The police said the
situation was being monitored and several persons
belonging to the "Thevar Peravai and Puthia
Tamizhagam’’ arrested for indulging in
violence.
Bus services to the main
town areas have been restored and supply of essential
commodities like milk and vegetables were being
maintained, the police added.
Meanwhile, nearly 200
members of the Thevar Peravai led by its president N.
Sethuraman began an indefinite fast demanding a judicial
inquiry into the police firing and violence that rocked
the district.
Later, Additional DGP S.
Kumaraswamy told reporters that more police forces,
numbering over 2500 and including CRPF personnel and
commandos, had been deployed in and around Ramanathapuram
district to contain further violence.
He said the police had
managed to recover a number of items of looted property,
including a van.
Thirty-five
"anti-social elements’’ had been arrested
in this connection.
Madurai: Inspector-General
of Police (Southern Zone) D. Manoharan told UNI over
telephone from Ramanathapuram that no untoward incident
was reported from any part of the district during the
past 12 hours.
At least 2,000 police
personnel, including two companies of the Central Reserve
Police Force, were deployed in the affected areas to
maintain law and order. Near normalcy was prevailing in
the district, he added.
Additional
Director-General of Police S. Kumarasamy, who reached
Ramanathapuram this morning, visited the affected areas.
Meanwhile, a police
constable posted at Paramakudi died of heart attack,
police sources said.
CHENNAI: Janata
Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy today demanded the
dismissal of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu in the wake
of caste violence in Ramanathapuram district in the past
two days.
"If the BJP-led
government at the Centre fails to recommend imposition of
President’s rule in the state, the AIADMK front
should withdraw its support to the Vajpayee
regime’’, Dr Swamy said in a statement here.
"We cannot be a mute
bystander if the BJP-led government also abdicates its
constitutional responsibility in Tamil Nadu. Otherwise,
the people may well say "plague on both your
houses" and hold us also as accomplices," he
said.
Dr Swamy said Mr
Karunanidhi had "completely abdicated his
constitutional responsibility" and alleged the Chief
Minister was ‘pursuing a scorched-earth policy’
of destroying the administrative fabric of the state so
that successive governments may not be able to rule.
The Tamil Nadu Government
has rushed CRPF and the Rapid Action Force to cope with
caste violence in Ramanathapuram, which claimed eight
lives.
Over 500 personnel have
been sent to the area and the situation is under control,
an official press note said today.
Chief Minister M
Karunanidhi sanctioned a solatium of Rs 1 lakh each to
the families of six persons who died in police firing in
the past two days and Rs 2 lakh each to next of kin of
two victims who were killed in the clashes.
The press note said
compensation ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 would be
given to those who were injured.
Over 25 shops were damaged
in the violence. The Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 3 lakh
as total compensation to be distributed among the
shopowners, the press note said, quoting a District
Collector.
Tamil Maanila Congress
(TMC) President G.K. Moopanar and MGR-ADMK leader S.
Thirunavukkarasu urged Mr Karunanidhi to take stern
action against those instigating the clashes.
Union Petroleum Minister
Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy demanded the dismissal of the DMK
government in Tamil Nadu for its alleged failure to
control recurring caste clashes in parts of the state.
Alleging that the state administration had deteriorated
so much that it could no longer be carried in accordance
with the Constitution, Mr Ramamurthy urged Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee to recommend the invocation of
Article 356 and the imposition of President’s rule
in Tamil Nadu.
Ever since M Karunanidhi
became Chief Minister, unprecedented caste violence has
erupted in southern Tamil Nadu. Even in other places,
incidents of murder, dacoity, rape, group clashes and
other social crimes have been on the rise," said Mr
Ramamurthy, who heads the Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress.
MDMK General Secretary
Vaiko said in a statement that the resurgence of caste
violence and resultant police firing showed that the law
and order situation in the state was "bad".
The Tamil Nadu BJP alleged
that "outsiders" had been brought the
Ramanathapuram district to foment clashes between Dalits
and other Hindu castes who had been living in harmony for
a long time. State BJP General Secretary L Ganesan said
some forces did not want Dalits and other castes to
remain united.
Meanwhile,
the chief of the
Tamil Nadu police justified the police firing at
Ramanathapuram, which witnessed caste violence in the
last two days, saying only the ‘aggressors’ of
two clashing castes were targeted.
"The police have
acted fairly and impartially", Director General of
Police F.C. Sharma told reporters here.
Elaborating, he said that
on the night of October 3, two were killed in the firing
and both belonged to one particular caste which had
attacked a rival group and also police personnel.
Yesterday, three more fell to police bullets, and they
belonged to the rival caste which turned aggressive and
indulged in arson and looting.
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