THOOTHUKUDI: Unable to bear the harassment meted out by a money lender, a social activist and a woman protested outside the Government Arts and Science college in Kovilpatti as police prevented them from submitting a petition to Collector G Lakshmipathy.
Rani, a 44-year-old widow from Kadambur, along with social activist and Congress functionary Ayyalusamy reached the college campus to meet the Collector, who was participating in a voter enrolment camp and submit a petition.
The duo alleged that the Kadambur police were siding with the money lender, Selvakumar, and had forced Rani to write a statement in favour of the money lender on Thursday.
According to Rani, Selvakumar had cheated her by withdrawing Rs15.3 lakh using her four bank cheques, when she had borrowed Rs2 lakh from him in 2020. She alleged that the police had called for an inquiry, even as she was suffering from chickenpox. They questioned her for three hours, following which the police recorded the statements of Selvakumar.
Siding with Selvakumar, the police refused to acknowledge Rani’s statements and instead, asked her to pay the amount demanded by Selvakumar as she had agreed to pay the interest while borrowing the principal amount. As the duo protested outside the college, Kovilpatti police dragged them into an autorickshaw and took them to Kovilpatti West station.