THOOTHUKUDI: A day after tense events unfolded in Pottaloorani village over the residents decision to boycott the Lok Sabha polls, the Thoothukudi district police on Saturday registered two FIRs against 50 persons, including a government school teacher, for allegedly protesting against the erring companies and boycotting the election. Additionally, FIRs were also registered against the goons, who entered the village carrying weapons and threatened the protesting villagers, based on a complaint by M Muthammal (58), a native of the village.
In the complaint, Muthammal said that the suspects entered the village on a car and two two-wheelers wielding wooden sticks and attempted to assault the villagers for protesting against the seafood and fish waste processing units, functioning in the region, emanating stench in the late hours. "They arrived right after the villagers waylaid Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan and other representatives from entering the village," she added.
Acting on the complaint, Pudukottai police registered an FIR under section 147, 148, 336, 506(i) of IPC against M Maharajan (25), J Thangapandi (31), P Chithiraivel (26), V Ramar (24), S Vinoth Kumar (25), P Vijaya Lakshmanan (23), N Pandiyarajan (25) and A Maharajan alias Mugil (22) - all hailing from Manakkarai village near Vallanadu. Of the suspects, Thangapandi is the district youth wing secretary of Tamilar Viduthalai Kazhagam, sources said.
Meanwhile, Ellainaickenpatti Village Administrative Officer (VAO) Vijayamoorthy lodged a complaint against 50 villagers, including coordinator Sankara Narayanan, a government school teacher, for allegedly damaging windshields of the police vehicles in which the suspects were ferried away from the clutches of the public. The public were booked under section 147, 341, 353, 506(i) of IPC and section 3(1) of Tamil Nadu Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992, for rioting, wrongful restraint, restricting officials from discharging their duties and criminal intimidation, respectively.
Further, Sankara Narayanan and the villagers were also booked under sections 147, 353 of IPC read with 171 C(1), 171F of IPC and 132(3) of Representation of People Act, 1951 over misconduct at the polling station, on the basis of another complaint lodged by VAO Vijayamoorthy.
