VILLUPURAM:Following the controversy over the unveiling of a statue of LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran in South Polgainallur (7 km from Nagapattinam) on June 4 and its later removal under the direction of the police, the discovery of two life-size statues - one of Prabhakaran and the other of forest brigand Veerappan - erected five years ago at an Iyyanar Temple in a village here prompted the cops to take proactive action.
They allegedly visited the Sadaiyandikuppam village near Villupuram where the temple is located and urged the local elders to ‘alter’ the statues to ensure that they do not resemble either Prabhakaran or Veerappan. Else, the temple could be in trouble, the villagers were told.
According to sources, on Saturday around 10.30 pm, a team led by Kandamangalam Inspector Harikrishnan asked the residents of the village to alter the statues.
The life-size statues of the Prabhakaran and Veerappan in the Iyyanar Temple were erected five years ago by the former PMK functionary Mathi Azhagan.
Sadaiyandikuppam villagers took the police advice seriously and decided to tinker around with the statues the same night. The knocked off the iconic cap with the LTTE insignia from Prabhakaran’s statue and also chopped a bit off the the equally iconic moustache that Veerappan was known to sport. In the process both statues got defaced.
However, on Sunday, Inspector Harikrishnan denied that had advised the villagers to ‘alter’ the statues.
The temple was in the news five years ago after Mathi Azhagan had constructed it out of funds raised from relatives and villagers. Ever since, members of several Tamil outfits began visiting the temple. It also drew hordes of devotees from surrounding villages and neighbouring Puducherry for the annual festival that was organised on the first Monday of the Aadi month.
The defacing happens at a time when controversy over the Sevugaraya Ayyanar temple at South Polgainallur - where the statue of Prabhakaran in army olive, holding a rifle on his left hand and the reins of a white horse on his right was unveiled during its consecration but later removed - is yet to die down.