Following a spate of attacks on pro Hindu organisation leaders, the Madurai police have arranged round-the-clock armed security for seven functionaries of the BJP and Hindu outfits in the district.
Security has been provided to Surendran, state general Secretary of BJP, Solaikkannan, district president of Hindu Makkal Katchi and Sethuraman, zonal organiser of RSS. This apart, Hindu Munnani activists - Sudalai Mani, state secretary, Muthu Kumar, rural district secretary, Guruji Ramachandran, rural district president and K M Pandian, urban district secretary - were also given protection.
The police said that the security men would accompany them wherever they visit. The personnel have been instructed to observe the people who subscribe to religious fundamentalism.
Policemen in plainclothes were deployed in sensitive places like Nelpettai and Katrapalayam in Madurai, Melepalayam, Tenkasi and Erwadi in Tirunelveli district to look for pipe bomb case accused- Police Fakrudeen, Bilal Malick and Panna Ismail and their relatives.
When asked whether the three accused have any direct connection with the BJP general secretary Auditor Ramesh’s murder case, the police remained non committal. “We are only suspecting their involvement. The release of their photos has nothing to do with the BJP leader’s murder case,” said a senior officer.
“We are probing the case from all angles. Even Hanifa, arrested recently in Dindigul in the pipe bomb case carried a picture of Hindu outfit leader Baskaran in his bag. During inquiry, Hanifa told us that the hate speech of the Hindu outfit leaders in street corner meetings has affected their sentiments,” added the officer.