COIMBATORE: Race Course police arrested 16 persons, including the owner of a software firm, after they protested in front of the office of a Junior Assistant Engineer, North and Central Zone, Coimbatore Corporation, on Friday, by throwing sewage water into the office.
Pradeep Kumar is the owner of Ampi Soft Technologies, a software firm at Bharathiar Road, near Pappanaickenpalayam. After heavy rains lashed the city over the last few days, water had stagnated in front of his office. On Thursday, Pradeep had gone to the office of the Junior Assistant Engineer at Balasundaram Road. He had picked up a quarrel with him and had also thrown sewage water outside the office. The corporation workers did not take offence.
On Friday, they once again went to the office with drainage water which they had collected from outside their office and threw it inside the office. They are also alleged to have threatened and verbally abused the engineer and a few other workers.
Based on a complaint by C Elangovan (41), an official from the corporation office, police lodged a case against Pradeep Kumar and 15 other under sections 147 (rioting), 447 (criminal trespass), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person, otherwise than on grave provocation), 294B(uttering obscene words) and 506(ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
Race Course police arrested all the 16 persons.