Eight people were arrested, and cases were registered against 36 people following a clash between two groups during a Vinayaka idol procession at Komanampatti near Natham in Dindigul district.
Dindigul: Eight people were arrested, and cases were registered against 36 people following a clash between two groups during a Vinayaka idol procession at Komanampatti near Natham in Dindigul district. Natham police registered cases against 36 people from both groups and arrested eight people identified as Silambarasan, 30; Somu, 28; Manikandan, 28; Rajendran, 29; Selvakumar, 24; Ajay, 21; Gokul, 22; and Prabhakaran, 23.
Police said one group belonging to the valayar community in Komanampatti village, under Sathampadi panchayat, traditionally installs Vinayaka idols during the festival and later takes them in a procession for immersion at the Ponvandu Kulam in Vilampatti. Additional superintendent of police Manjumma, Natham police inspector Pon Gunasekaran, sub-inspectors Malaichamy and Abinesh, along with other police personnel, rushed to the spot and held talks with both groups. Police persuaded the protesters to allow the idol immersion to be completed, assuring them that appropriate action would be taken over the clash. The protesters subsequently dispersed, and the Vinayaka idols were taken in procession and immersed in Ponvandu Kulam. Further investigation is under way. Additional police personnel have been deployed at Komanampatti as a precautionary measure following tension in the village.