VELLORE: Getting into the nitty-gritty of political decisions over a hot cup of tea at the ubiquitous stalls is a favourite pastime in the life of an average Tamil citizen. However, a raging debate over a cup of tea on the Centre’s demonetization drive took an awry turn recently at Ambur, where two persons assaulted a speaker backing the decision.
The drama unfolded at Sanror Kuppam in Ambur on November 13, when two daily wage labourers – P Silambarasan and Paranthaman – were discussing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetization decision at Senthil Tea Stall. The two persons were reportedly fuming at the decision, which had rendered them unable to withdraw their own money from ATMs.
Even as the discussion was going on, G Gopinathan (40) and his friend Kumaran walked into the shop to recharge their mobile numbers. Hearing Silambarasan using foul language to sum up the decision, which had caused a lot of hardship to poor labourers, Gopinathan raised strong objections. Gopinathan claimed that the decision was a right step in getting rid of black money and ushering in development. During the debate, Gopinathan allegedly made a sarcastic remark about Silambarasan and Paranthaman.
The labourer duo soon began putting forth their view, but the heated debate soon turned into an argument, said Ambur Town police inspector Selvaraj. Soon, the matter snowballed into fisticuffs, with Silambarasan and Paranthaman beating up Gopinathan. The duo allegedly pushed Gopinathan down and kicked him in the face. “There was no previous enmity between them. The duo went into hiding for the past few days,” the official added.
While the mud slinging and praise showering are taken with a pinch of salt during long-winded heated arguments over a cuppa, the assault invited a case under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 502 (II) (criminal intimidation) and 294 (b)(abusing with foul language) against the duo, the official said.
I-T search at jewellery shops
Vellore: Officials of income tax department inspected three jewellery shops in Tiruvannamalai on Tuesday evening. “Officials seized unaccounted cash from the jewellers, including lakhs of scrapped D1,000 and D500 notes,” said official sources. The inspection lasted for about five to six hours.