CUDDALORE: Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and other political outfits staged a protest on Thursday night in Chidambaram, condemning the damage caused to a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar during the removal of a flagpole by the National Highways Department.
The incident occurred near the Ambedkar statue on North Main Road, where the department was engaged in flagpole dismantling work. During the operation, the statue was allegedly damaged due to negligence, prompting BJP and VCK cadres to block the road in protest.
A peace meeting was held on Friday at the Chidambaram Taluk Office, chaired by Tahsildar S Geetha. Inspector S Rameshbabu, BJP functionaries KVMS Saravanakumar, SV Sridharan, and Gopinath Ganeshan, along with VCK leaders VK Sellappan and Aranga Tamiloli, took part in the meeting.
Officials assured the participants that a new bronze statue would be installed shortly, and appropriate action would be taken against those responsible. Following these assurances, the protest was withdrawn.