Tension over desecration of Thevar's statue

Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu, Mar 3 (UNI) Tension prevailed in Sankaralingapuram Village near here following the desecration of the life-size statue of veteran freedom fighter and Mukkulathor Community icon Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, early today.

Police said a group of residents of Sankaralingapuram Village saw the head of the cement statue had been removed, this morning.

As the news spread, people from Sankaralingapuram, N Pudur, Nallamanaickanpatti, Rangappanaickanpatti, Kurichiyarpatti, Kilavikulam and surrounding hamlets gathered at the spot causing tension, the police said.

On information, senior police and revenue officials rushed to the village and pacified the agitating villagers. A large number of police personnel were deployed in the villages and other sensitive parts of Virudhunagar District to defuse the situation.

Bus services and vehicular traffic to atleast 15 villages have been suspended and police has launched a massive hunt to nab the culprits.

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