MAYILADUTHURAI: Fourteen persons arrested here on the charge of desecrating a portrait of Lord Rama, police said today.
The group, led by one Jayaraman, who had spearheaded the recent protest against methane gas exploration project in the region, allegedly desecrated the portrait yesterday.
All the 14 were arrested last night and produced today before Magistrate A Chellapandian who remanded them to judicial custody, police said.
They were reportedly protesting against the damage caused to a Periyar statue in Pudukottai yesterday.
In the incident, the head of the Periyar statue was found cut and placed near a traffic roundabout, drawing condemnation from DMK, Congress and other parties.
A CRPF jawan was arrested for allegedly vandalising the Periyar statue.