VILLUPURAM: Tension prevailed in Villupuram, after a lorry rammed into a Periyar statue, damaging it at Kamaraj Street junction on Wednesday night. After the incident, DMK cadre staged protest by blocking roads, and the police arrested the lorry driver V Machindra Sable (53) of Maharashtra.
According to a police source, the lorry, loaded with tyres from a factory in Puducherry, was on its way to Pune. "It entered Thiru Vi Ka Street and tried to take a turn at Kamaraj Street junction. Its side rammed pedestal of the Periyar statue, which collapsed. All these are recorded in CCTV," said the police. Immediately, SP N Shreenatha rushed to the spot and the statue was cleared and the lorry seized.
As the image of the collapsed pedestal and statue went viral on social media, some cadres of the DMK came to the spot and started arguing with the police and revenue department officials. One of the DMK's town-level functionaries allegedly came to the spot in an inebriated state with a few of his supporters, and started verbally abusing the officials and a journalist.
They also blocked the Thiru Vi Ka Street, Kamaraj Street, and the Four Road junction. They later went to the Villupuram Town Police Station and argued with the policemen there. No action has been taken against them yet. Personnel under Villupuram DSP Parthiban were deployed at the spot.