Violence breaks out in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi over girl's death; buses torched, DIG injured

New Delhi: Prohibitory orders were imposed at several places in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district following a violent protest against alleged inaction following the death of a 17-year-old student earlier this week. On Sunday, the protesters clashed with police and indulged in arson at a residential school. Protesters, demanding justice for the death of a girl student, went on a rampage and set fire to vehicles, indulged in stone-pelting and ransacked and vandalised her school.

In order to control the violent mobs, the police opened fire in the air and clamped prohibitory orders. The protesters set on fire at least 15 buses, including three police buses. According to the reports, with the arrival of police reinforcements from nearby regions, the situation gradually returned to normal. The investigation into the girl's death was transferred to the CB-CID, Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu said.

"School correspondent Ravikumar, secretary Shanthi and Principal Shiva Sankaran were arrested over the death of a 17-year-old girl and for failing to maintain safety at the school hostel. Case transferred to rime Investigation Department (CBCID)," Babu said.

The police, till now, have arrested as many as 70 men who were involved in the violence and 2 men and a woman holding senior positions in the school management. Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu, while ruling out intelligence failure, informed that those from the school have been held in connection with the girl's death.

The officials also informed that 52 police personnel, including officials like DIG (Villupuram) M Pandian, were injured in the violent clash. Police showed restraint and handled the situation deftly, Babu said and added that such exemplary handling of the situation ensured that there was no loss of lives.

Politics over Kallakurichi violence

Chief Minister M K Stalin assured people that persons found guilty in the matter would be punished. On the other hand, AIADMK's top leader and former Chief Minister K Palaniswami blamed the police, State government and district administration for negligence and for failing to act on time.

"Chief Minister Stalin is fully responsible for this." Had the government ensured prompt action against the school, the situation would not have slipped out of hands, Palaniswami said. BJP accused the DMK regime of ineptness. Reddy said the government is determined to clear all suspicions in connection with the girl's death. People should not believe rumours and resort to violence, he said.

Case registered against protestors 

Babu said a case has been booked for offences including violence, damage to property, unlawful assembly and attacking police personnel. The top police official said based on video footage, those who instigated the violence have been identified and more people connected to it would be held soon.

The vandalism in school would be separately probed into and every aspect like the suspected role of an outfit in mobilising people using social media would all be probed into, he said. At least, 5,000 people took part in the protest, according to rough estimates. Outnumbered, the best efforts of police to disperse the protesters proved futile.

What happened in Sunday protests? 

What began as a 'road blockade protest' by over 3,000 people on Sunday resulted in stone-throwing, violence and vandalism in and around the school premises. Several vehicles were torched and portions of some rooms in the school were affected due to the fire and other facilities in the institution were ransacked.

The agitators, pushing down barricades put up by the police, stormed the premises of an 'international' school at nearby Chinnasalem and set buses parked on the institution's premises afire. Some of them set ablaze a police bus as well and to vent their anger, agitators damaged vehicles, turned them on their sides and used a tractor-trailer to damage and push aside buses.

Several protesters managed to reach the top of an arch-like structure at the school entrance and vandalised the school nameboard and held high banners seeking justice for the dead girl. A group of agitators had a free run and indulged in vandalism on the school premises. Some of them took away things like furniture and almirah from the school, damaged them and set them on fire on the road.

The protesters include volunteers of a youth outfit and young men gathered in huge numbers following messages in social media requesting young people and others to show solidarity for justice and turn up for Sunday's protest. 

About the Kallakurichi incident  

A 17-year-old girl, studying Class 12 in a private residential school in Chinnasalem's Kaniyamoor area, about 15 km from here, was found dead on July 13 on the hostel premises.

The girl, an inmate of a room on the third floor of the hostel was suspected to have ended her life by jumping to the ground from the top floor. Reportedly, a postmortem report indicated that she had sustained injuries before her death. Police registered a case and initiated probe.

Her parents, relatives and people belonging to her village Periyanasalur, off Veppur in Cuddalore district, have been staging non-stop protests raising suspicions in connection with the teenager's death and seeking justice. The protests were being held in both Kallakurichi and Cuddalore Districts.

Blaming the school authorities and seeking action against them they held a protest here on July 16 for the fourth successive day. Their demands that have the support of a political outfit and the youth wing of a Left party include probe by an independent investigating agency and arrest of those responsible for the girl's death.

(With PTI inputs)