TIRUNELVELI: A plus-two student allegedly hurled country-made bombs on a computer centre of a TV news channel reporter, thinking that he reported a news about an FIR registered against him, here on Tuesday.
One of the three bombs that the student hurled exploded causing damage to the centre’s banner. The Nanguneri police apprehended the juvenile.
The reporter, Vanamamalai has already received death threats for reporting cases such as Nanguneri caste atrocity, where two SC children were hacked by caste Hindu students, malpractices of a temple's administrators and was given a police protection. However, according to the reporter, the police security was withdrawn on October 29.
Soon after the bomb hurling incident, the Nanguneri police rushed to the crime spot and gave protection to Vanamamalai’s computer centre and house.
They also recovered the bombs which had not exploded. The Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan who inspected the spot told TNIE that the police apprehended a juvenile in conflict with law for hurling the bombs.
"Some days ago, the juvenile had a dispute with a local auto-driver from a different community. He was booked for beating the driver. Thinking that Vanamamalai reported the same for a newspaper, the juvenile hurled the bombs," he said.
When asked about the withdrawal of police protection, the SP said that the police personnel were deployed at his house and shop on Tuesday. "Our police always visited his house and shop during their patrol daily," Silambarasan added.
Speaking to TNIE, Vanamamalai, who is also son-in-law of former CPI's Nanguneri MLA S V Krishnan, said that some people, who do not want him to report the issues, pertaining to the Vanamamalai Perumal Temple administration must have instigated him to hurl bombs at my centre.
"The news on the FIR against the juvenile was not reported by me. It was published in a Tamil newspaper, where i stopped working an year ago. This juvenile used to cross my centre daily when he was going to his government school. There is no motive between us. Some people would have instigated him to hurl the bombs on my shop," he said.
The reporter also recalled that after the incident of Nanguneri caste atrocity, the relatives of assailants' held a meeting condemning his reporting and filed a police complaint against him.
"As I was issued life threats, I was given police protection till October 29. It was withdrawn after that. However, the police personnel visited my house daily during the patrol. I still hear that some people are holding meetings and planning something against me. Not only myself, all the reporters of Nanguneri are at risk for their reporting and in need of police protection. About 10 days ago, another TV news channel reporter received a notice from a local body representative for his reporting," said Vanamamalai.
A police official said that they were conducting an investigation to find out if any one supported him in making the bombs and instigated him against the reporter.