Vaiko demands suspension of officials involved in Police firing

Madurai, June 3 (UNI) Condemning the police firing and the ransacking of houses at Vilampatti village in Dindigul district, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko today demanded that all the police and revenue officials involved in the incident should be suspended.

After visiting the victims of last week's police firing at the Government Rajaji Hospital here, he told newspersons that the police action was totally unwarranted.

Recounting the sequence of events, the MDMK leader said the trouble had started only after the temple hundi was opened with police assistance by a temple trustee and a local DMK leader, disregarding the collective decision of the village.

Without any warning the police opened fire on the people who had gathered to hear the opening of temple hundi. Later, their houses were ransacked, he alleged.

A woman and a youth, who sustained bullet injuries were recuperating at the hospital, along with the other injured. Many innocents had been arrested and the residents were being threatened, forcing many to flee the village.

Ironically, the DMK leader Kottaisamy and the temple trustee, Thiripura Sundari had not been arrested so far, he noted.

Describing the police action as 'barbaric' and unjustified, he sought the immediate suspension of the police as well as revenue officials and, initiation of legal action against them.

He alleged that people had lost faith in the state police and the administration, ever since the May 9 attack on the office premises of Tamil daily 'Dinakaran,' resulting in the death of three of its employees. The Vilampatti incident had only aggravated that feeling, he added, and wanted the government to take necessary steps to restore normalcy in the village.

Human Rights organisations like 'People's Watch' and NGOs have recorded the police high handedness and brutality, he pointed out.

Mr Vaiko also demanded enhanced compensation for the injured and for those whose houses were ransacked and looted by the uniformed personnel.

UNI