TIRUNELVELI:
We don't get to know people when they come to us;
we must go to them to find out what they are like
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer
Hoping on to his bicycle, Superintendent of Police Manivannan, on Wednesday night, patrolled in Gopalasamudram village, hit by caste violence.
His aim: To ward off the fear of police among the villagers and to build a strong bond with them.
A huge posse of policemen has been deployed in Gopalasamudram and its nearby villages following the murder of two people. During his bicycle patrol, the superintendent of police inquired the policemen deployed there about the present situation.
Speaking to TNIE, Manivannan said when patrolling on bicycle the people feel that he is one among them and they will approach him freely. "It will help build a close relationship between me and the villagers. Plus, as the village is very small in size, it is easy for me to patrol on bicycle," he said.
One arrested in Mariappan murder case
The Munneerpallam police arrested Shunmugaselvam, a suspect in the murder of Mariappan of Senkulam who was allegedly killed in retaliation to the murder of Sankarasubramaniyan of Gopalasamudram. The police have already arrested eight people in connection with Mariappan's murder that took place on September 15.
Meanwhile, the Pathamadai police arrested a sickle workshop owner, Sudalai (55), for allegedly selling sickles to contract killers. The police recently had instructed the workshop owners to collect the details of their customers before selling sickles.