MADURAI: A day after senior BJP leader H. Raja was prevented by the police from proceeding to the hilltop at Thiruparankundram to offer prayers and visit the Kallathi sacred tree, city police on Tuesday registered two cases against him and several BJP cadres in connection with the incident.
According to police sources, the cases were booked at the Thiruparankundram Law and Order police station based on complaints related to the brief standoff that broke out on Monday evening when H. Raja and his supporters allegedly attempted to proceed towards the hilltop.
Police intervention, citing law and order concerns amid a pending court case, led to heated arguments between BJP cadres and the police personnel deployed at the spot.
The cases have been registered under multiple sections for unlawful assembly, utterances in public and wrongful obstruction. In one case, H. Raja and 11 other BJP functionaries have been named as accused for allegedly attempting to force their way to the hilltop and arguing with the police to remove a flag from the sacred tree.
In the second case, five women, along with others, were listed as accused for allegedly staging protests in front of a police vehicle and obstructing the police from arresting BJP cadres and H. Raja. No arrests have been made in either case.
Police said the incidents occurred around 6 pm on Monday, following which FIRs were registered later in the evening. Statements from witnesses have been recorded and further investigation is under way.
Tension prevailed in the area for several hours on Monday evening as BJP cadres staged protests, objecting to the police action.