COIMBATORE: Tension prevailed at Thadagam valley in Coimbatore after three social activists and their two children were allegedly detained by brick kiln operators and the locals on Sunday alleging they had video graphed their kilns in a drone camera illegally.
In an altercation, a few from both sides were assaulted and two locals were admitted to the hospital, said sources. Sources said that the Thadagam police rescued the social activists from the custody of brick kiln owners and brought them to the police station.
As a crowd gathered in front of the police station seeking action against the activists, they were sent to Thudiyalur station under police protection. Both the parties are preparing to lodge complaints, said a senior police officer.
According to the police, three social activists - Ganesh from Thadagam, Mohan and Ramesh a physician from Kanuvai - along with Ramesh's daughter and Ganesh's minor son went to a place between Somayanur and Kalaiyanu, on Sunday around 2 pm. They claimed that they went to record the topography of a water stream that passes over the area.
When a labourer witnessed their presence, he alerted the other workers who surrounded them. The brick kiln operators thought the activists had recorded their kiln's operation which is stalled for the last few months followed by a court order. During the argument, one of the activists from the three-member group allegedly assaulted a local with a helmet, which triggered the tension.