TIRUNELVELI: Members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), led by district secretary M Muthuvalavan, submitted a petition with District Collector KP Karthikeyan and Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan here on Thursday, demanding action against the miscreants who beheaded the statues of deities at a temple in Moovirunthali Salaiputhur village.
Muthuvalavan alleged that the Devarkulam police failed to take any steps to trace the miscreants in spite of receiving a complaint from the villagers five days ago. "As many as 660 members of the SC community reside in Moovirunthali Salaiputhur village. They had installed the statues of Karuppasamy, Sudalaimadan and Pechiamman deities at the roadside temple, and have been worshipping them for decades. However, on Saturday night, some miscreants beheaded the statues of Karuppasami and Sudalaimadan deities," he said.
The petition further stated that a statue of a dog was also beheaded at the temple. "We had lodged a complaint with the Devarkulam police in this connection, but no action was taken to nab the miscreants," Muthuvalavan stated in the petition.
Speaking to TNIE, Muthuvalavan said the act of the miscreants has also created communal tension in Manur. "We came to know that some persons belonging to a dominant caste were involved in the vandalism. They should be booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The police should also invoke Goondas Act against them," he added.