CHENNAI: The Chennai city police commissioner AK Viswanathan on Friday ordered the detention under the Goondas Act of 14 people who attacked the funeral of a doctor who died of COVID-19.
The incident was reported in the wee hours of April 20. Anna Nagar police detained all the 14 suspects until the evening before they were produced at the residence of the metropolitan magistrate in Egmore.
The mob had stopped police and health staff from carrying out the last rites of Dr Simon Hercules, alleging that they live in the neighborhood and could contract the virus if he was buried there.
Later the mob turned violent. Assistant executive engineer Kalaiyarasan, executive engineer Senthil Kumar and ambulance crew members, Anand and Damodaran, suffered injuries in the assault.
Police slapped a case under IPC Sections 307 (attempted to murder), 332 (preventing to discharge the duty of a government servant), apart from 147 (riot), 148, 324 (attacking with sticks), 294 (B) (abusing), 506 (II) (criminal intimidation), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and Section 3 of TNPPDL Act.
A day later, the Chennai City Police commissioner warned that if such incidents take place, the violators will be detained under the Goondas Act.
The arrested were identified as P Annamalai, 32, A Anandaraj, 33, N Gopinath, 42, M Kadhar Moideen, 48, R Mani, 32, K Manikandan, 30, K Nagendran, 29, K Paulraj, 34, K Sangeetha Rajan, 25, A Shankar, 28, D Saarangapani, 38,. K Somasundaram, 24, S Vijay, 26, and U Nirmala, 38.