The stone-pelting during the election campaign of PMK candidate for Arni constituency A K Murthy in Periya Colony in Vandavasi town on Monday night triggered tension between members of two communities.
Within an hour after the PMK men were attacked, incidents of attack on Dalits by unidentified gangs, reportedly belonging to Vanniyar community, in three different places were reported in the town.
A gang attacked M Jagadesan (38), driver of a TNSTC bus, with sharp weapons while he was going on a two-wheeler near the Vandavasi General Hospital at 8 pm. Jagadesan sustained cut injuries all over his body and was hospitalised.
Soon after this attack, another gang entered 35-year-old M Viswanthan’s finance firm, assaulted him and looted `2.50 lakh in cash from the shop and fled.
One gang barged into 30-year-old K Radhakrishnan’s shop and took away four refrigerators and damaged them in front his shop. DIG of Vellore R Thamilchandran and SP of Tiruvannamalai J Mutharasi reached the spot to bring the situation under control. Sensing more trouble, the police roped in three battalions of CISF to assist the district police personnel.
Meanwhile, in connection with the stone-hurling incident, the police arrested 14 people, including district secretary of Republican Party of India Vanthai Mohan and 10 Dalits.
Police said that two separate cases had been registered against the PMK men and the Dalits.
Based on a complaint from the PMK east district executive committee member E Sivakumar, the police registered a case against Vanthai Mohan (48) along with 27 others and they were remanded.
Following a complaint from Jagadeesan of Mudiyappan Colony, the police arrested S Rajasekaran (32), V Gokulakrishnan (38) and N Selvam (33) of Vanniyar community.