THANJAVUR: Tension prevailed at Mariyal here on Tuesday after the VCK and Ambedkarite outfits stopped BJP cadre from garlanding an Ambedkar statue installed by Adhi Tamizhar Paadhukappu Peravai and the Dr Ambedkar educational trust. The 7-foot-high statue on a pedestal, erected on the premises of the trust, now stands by the roadside in Thanjavur-Nanjikottai Road after road expansion. The statue is being maintained by the trust.
Every year representatives of various organisations, including political parties, garland the statue on the birth and death anniversaries of Dr Ambedkar. On Tuesday, on account of the 66th death anniversary of Ambedkar, members of the Congress and various outfits, including Adi Tamizhar Peravai and Desiya Pathukappu Kazhagam, garlanded the statue.
Meanwhile, a group of BJP cadre led by its state vice president M Muruganantham came to garland the statue.VCK functionaries and members of other Ambedkarite outfits, however, objected to it and raised slogans against the BJP members. As tension prevailed, police arrived at the spot and the BJP members staged a road blockade.
As the blockade continued for more than two hours, Superintendent of Police (SP) G Ravali Priya visited the spot and asked both sides to disperse. After they did not disperse, the SP ordered the arrest of members from both sides. Later, barricades were put up around the statue and police personnel were posted.