CUDDALORE: Four youth were arrested after the petrol bomb they allegedly hurled at an Ambedkar statue missed its target and exploded after falling into the compound of a panchayat office at Ambalavananpettai Colony in the district.
The suspects have been identified as P Sathishkumar (29), G Krishnakumar (21), M Vijayaraj (22), and V Vetrivel (23) of Ambalavananpettai village and belonging to a caste Hindu community.
Sources said the incident happened on Tuesday night when the youth were returning home after attending a temple festival. Police said all four were in a drunken state at the time. "While returning from the temple they made the petrol bomb by filling petrol, taken from their bike, in a bottle they were carrying.
Following an inquiry, the police filed cases against the accused under three sections of the Indian Penal Code, section 3, 4(a) of the Explosives Substances Act, 1908, and three sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police said measures are being taken to remand the accused after court proceedings by Wednesday night.
Superintendent of Police R Rajaram inspected the spot and deployed police personnel in the village as a precautionary measure.
In response to the incident, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) cadre, led by Cuddalore Corporation Deputy Mayor P Thamaraiselvan, staged a protest near the Ambedkar statue and urged the authorities to invoke the Goondas Act against the suspects.