MADURAI: Tension prevailed in M Vellalapatti Pudur near Melur in the early hours of Tuesday when the district administration along with the police attempted to remove a Thevar statue, which was reportedly installed without permission by the villagers.
Sources said the villagers installed a 5-ft cement Thevar statue in the centre of the village on Monday night. Learning about this, the officials from the district administration along with police personnel went to the spot at around 1 am to remove the statue. The villagers refused to cooperate despite the officials explaining to them that the statue was erected without obtaining prior permission.
Irked over this, locals disconnected the power supply of the village and started attacking the police personnel and others. The cops resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
The police also nabbed a total of 15 persons from the spot in connection with the attack.
In this incident, more than 10 police personnel sustained injuries. The government vehicles including an ambulance were damaged.
Superintendent of Police Sujit Kumar inspected the spot and ordered to beef up the security in the village. An inquiry is on.